£600 energy voucher: People redeeming first vouchers at post offices

The lack of a government helpline to answers questions on the £600 voucher energy scheme could cause issues for people struggling to get the money, a fuel poverty campaigner has said.

The first energy vouchers started to arrive through letterboxes on Saturday.

Sinead Quinn, from Derry Against Fuel Poverty, said she had been inundated with queries about the scheme.

The energy and climate minister said energy companies had helplines and were best placed to deal with concerns.

“There should be no need to go to a helpline but suppliers with established relationships with customers are the best intermediaries in what is a devolved energy market,” Graham Stuart added.

However, Ms Quinn said there was a “hands-off approach” from the UK government.

She also raised concerns about customers who do not have a photographic ID and who bank in certain ways.

While most vouchers can either be deposited in a bank or redeemed for cash at the Post Office that is not the case for everyone.

If customers are a Monzo Bank, Nationwide or credit union customer they will need to bring photo ID, as detailed in the voucher, to receive the payment as cash.

That is because those financial organisations are not on the banking framework used by the Post Office and the money cannot be deposited through those accounts at a Post Office.

Ms Quinn said that she knew of Nationwide customers who have no photo ID, meaning they may not be able to access the money.

“I have friends who are on universal credit getting £77 per week – why would they have an ID? They can’t afford to drive or go on holiday.

“The reality is for some people with a Nationwide account is they will not be able to access that money,” she added.

“The people who are the most vulnerable that need the money the most may be left out,” she told BBC Radio Ulster programme Good Morning Ulster.

“I have one woman who has a Nationwide account who can’t leave home and has no photographic ID,” she said

“The unfortunate reality is that if her voucher arrives this morning she doesn’t know what to do.”

The energy minister said there would be “some wrinkles” in the system but that they would be worked through with the Post Office and suppliers.

Mr Stuart said the scheme had been rolled out “quickly considering the energy market is so different to Great Britain and is devolved”.

“My officials have worked flat out along with suppliers in Northern Ireland to get this scheme out,” he said.

“The aim is that everyone will have their money by the end of February.”

He said customers should go to the Post Office as soon as they get their voucher.

“We strongly suggest you put it directly in a bank account which will ease the pressure on the Post Office in terms of cash,” he said.

About 500,000 households in Northern Ireland are eligible for the voucher.

It is made up of a £400 support payment announced last May, and an additional £200 because of the high proportion of homes here using heating oil.

The rollout will be staggered over the next four weeks and completed by the end of February.

It comes as, Anders Opedal, the boss of Norwegian energy giant Equinor said he does not expect gas and electricity bills to return to the levels they were before Covid.

Mark Gibson, external affairs manager at Post Office NI, said the vouchers had been posted on Friday but he was aware that some customers had received their vouchers on Saturday and had already redeemed them.

He added that the majority of vouchers were expected to start arriving from Monday.

The Post Office said that the first people to receive their vouchers have been identified by electricity suppliers as those who merit special treatment on account of age, disability or chronic illness.

The vouchers can only be redeemed at post offices and are being sent to all those who do not pay their energy bills by direct debit, which is estimated to be around 75% of customers in Northern Ireland.

If you pay for electricity by direct debit, you will not get a voucher – the £600 will instead be automatically placed into your bank account from this week.

For customers who use an electricity keypad, the letter will be addressed to ‘The Occupier’.

Head of payments for the Post Office, Andrew Goddard, said: “This is a major logistical exercise and we are working very hard to distribute the vouchers as quickly as possible.

“Please do read the voucher very carefully and ensure you take it, plus the forms of ID specified, to ensure the teams can process your voucher and you receive your money.

“We also encourage customers to receive your money and deposit this straight into your bank account,” he added.

That depends on how you want to receive the payment and what sort of customer you are:

You will need:

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