Electricity bills: Minister clashes with committee chair over energy bill support

Stormont's economy minister has clashed with the chair of an assembly committee as she defended her department's handling of UK government funding being allocated to reduce energy bills. There were tense exchanges as Caoimhe Archibald rejected criticism from Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Phillip Brett over plans for £81m earmarked to tackle household electricity costs. The Sinn Féin minister accused Brett and his party of making "numerous false statements", but he claimed Archibald had a "record of dither and delay". It came as the minister was called before a special meeting of the economy committee on Monday following confusion last week over the support package. The funding flows from an announcement made at the UK budget in November. All households in Northern Ireland are expected to receive a £30 reduction in their electricity bills per year for a period of three years. Archibald said it requires legislation to be passed at Westminster, which she expects to happen by the summer. The DUP had criticised the minister and the Department for the Economy (DfE) after its top official was unable to provide details of the scheme during a committee meeting last week. S