A £2 million emergency winter fuel scheme has been capped at 330 payments daily to prevent it from becoming overwhelmed, a Stormont committee has been told.
The scheme was launched last week but people have been struggling to apply because within as little as 15 minutes after it opens, it shuts again.
SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan and UUP MLA Andy Allen said they had been “inundated” with calls from people blocked from applying.
Mr Durkan told the committee that there had been “clear failings in communication”.
“The scheme was announced on 29 December with no eligibility criteria. Anyone could see the flaws with delivery,” he said.
He said his office had been “inundated with people in desperate need”.
“It’s shocking that we haven’t learnt lessons on how to support the most vulnerable in society,” he said.
Mr Allen said he felt the scheme was not “fit for purpose”.
However David Polley, from the Department for Communities, told the Stormont committee on Tuesday that this was “an immediate crisis fund for those facing disconnection in the next few days”.
He said there are about 200,000 to 300,000 households living in fuel poverty in Northern Ireland.
“It is not our expectation that this scheme will be able to cater for all those households,” he stressed.
Mr Polley told the communities committee that a similar scheme launched last year had a weekly cap but was overwhelmed within the first hour of its opening on a Monday.
The daily cap means it should be available every day for someone who is at risk of disconnection, he said.
“In order for payments to be available until the end of March, there is a maximum number of applicants who can apply,” he said.
“The cap was quickly reached on the first few days but half of the applications weren’t eligible.”
The scheme has already helped hundreds of people, he said, but added that this was “a relatively small part of the support available from the Department for Communities”.
Mr Polley said that following technical issues on their website, the Bryson Charitable Group, which is managing the fund, had increased its capacity.
The scheme was launched on 6 January and is due to run until March 31.
It offers £100 towards energy costs for anyone who is eligible.
The DfC has bid for a further £55m to help those struggling with fuel poverty and a final decision is expected in the January monitoring round.
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