The recently-announced Energy Payment Support Scheme has been met with some criticism, with a DUP MLA claiming it excludes some struggling families.

DUP MLA Stephen Dunne slammed Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey for "floundering" on the issue of fuel poverty.

The North Down MLA said: "Using criteria based solely on an individual's receipt of other benefits excludes many working families. It will also see some households receive multiple payments whilst many others miss out entirely. The families who are sometimes referred to as the 'squeezed middle' continually miss out on multiple layers of support when eligibility is linked to other benefits rather than their assessed need. 


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"Financial stress is not limited to those in receipt of benefits. In our low-income working households across Northern Ireland, which include many key workers, parents sometimes are forced to choose whether to heat or eat, or go without so their children's most basic needs can be met. The challenge to the Minister is what she will now do for those working families?"