T5. Mrs Cameron asked the Minister of Finance whether he has received a response from Treasury to his recent written request for a temporary VAT waiver in energy bills to help families and businesses that are struggling with soaring bills. (AQT 1795/17-22)

No, we have not as yet. The letter was sent last week, I think, although judging by the time that Treasury sometimes takes to respond to us —. I hope for an early response, because I am firmly of the view that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis. Any steps that can be taken such as waiving VAT on energy bills should be explored by the Government. That would make a contribution. There are contributions that the Executive could make as well, and it is incumbent on us to find ways to do that. Certainly, Treasury could make a major contribution in terms of VAT on energy bills.

I thank the Minister for his answer. In the Ten Towns network area, which includes Antrim, my home town in my constituency, prices will increase by 38% in December. Other major companies, like SSE Airtricity and Power NI, have also announced large increases in gas and electricity bills. Has the Minister had any discussions with the Communities Minister about the potential need for further welfare support for those who are being pushed into debt and poverty by the added pressure of energy bills?

Yes, I have. I know that the Communities Minister is very exercised about that. Last year, people required support with their energy bills over the winter, and we had more money in the pot to do that because of the COVID money. This year, the gas and electricity price hikes have happened very suddenly. You have identified the very significant costs associated with that. The Communities Minister is very concerned, and I have had discussions with her.

The next redistribution point for any available funding is January. By that stage, people might already be in crisis. We are considering discussing with other Departments, which might know now, what they will surrender in January and seeing if we can get Executive agreement to put that towards the cost of living crisis. That will depend on what returns Departments make. We are trying to identify some steps that can be taken to address some of these issues in advance of the deep winter. The Minister already has a number of schemes from which she can allocate funding to support people with their home heating costs. Last year, we put in an additional £50 million. This year, we have an additional £12 million or £13 million, which, clearly, will not be adequate when the increase in energy costs is added.