To ask the Minister for the Economy whether he has any plans to introduce the Warm Home Discount Scheme in Northern Ireland.

Thank you for your correspondence dated 20 November 2024 asking have I any plans to introduce the Warm Homes Discount Scheme for the North of Ireland.

You will be aware of the British Warm Home Discount scheme, which is paid for by a charge levied on all domestic customers in Britain. The British and North of Ireland Energy markets differ in several ways, most notably size. The costs of implementing and administering a scheme in the North of Ireland equivalent to the British Scheme would be disproportionately high given our small market size and would lead to higher bills for many customers, including, potentially, those in, or close to, fuel poverty.

This would also introduce additional administrative costs for suppliers which could have unintended consequences for supplier tariffs and competition at retail level.

We do already have the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP), which receives £8m of funding raised through electricity charges. In September 2024 I announced a further £2.5m funding package for NISEP which will allow energy efficiency measures to be installed in more low-income households.

You will be aware that the Department for Communities has lead responsibility for fuel poverty and any mitigations which may be put in place to assist with rising fuel costs. The Department for the Economy assists in tackling fuel poverty through setting energy efficiency policy that supports the reduction in household energy use and as a consequence household energy bills.

My officials are in regular dialogue with their colleagues in the Department for Communities to identify further interventions that may assist customers facing increases in energy costs. The Department for Communities will lead the Executive’s response, particularly in relation to vulnerable consumers.