An independent MLA has said the planned £100 oil payment will cover only a fraction of the cost of filling a heating oil tank and will leave many households without support.

Claire Sugden, the MLA for East Londonderry, said keeping a home warm is a basic necessity and people should not have to worry about whether they can afford it.

She expressed concern that households above a net income threshold of £30,000 will receive nothing. The limit, she argued, does not reflect what families have left after paying their mortgage or rent, childcare, food, electricity, transport and other essential bills.

Sugden said she would have liked to see a scheme that went further after such a long wait, and she intends to continue pressing the minister to recognise those who fall outside the current criteria.