Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Rosie Cooper (Labour). It was answered by Lord Robathan (Conservative) on Wednesday, 2 April 2014 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

Cost of Living

Question: What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Government's economic policies on the cost of living in Northern Ireland.

Answer: I am answering these questions together as, spookily enough, they are identical in every word. The Government continue to take actions to support hard-working households. Following the Budget, 685,000 people in Northern Ireland will have benefited from the personal allowance changes since 2010. Furthermore, drivers, as well as Northern Ireland households using fuel oils for home energy, will benefit from the cancelling of the fuel duty rise planned for September.

Secondary information