Government working hard to support Northern Ireland following Storm Eowyn – Benn
Government working hard to support Northern Ireland following Storm Eowyn – Benn
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The UK Government is working hard to meet requests for assistance from the devolved Stormont Executive for support in the wake of Storm Eowyn, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said. Mr Benn also stated that Northern Ireland’s energy network provider, NIE Networks, was considering whether goodwill payments should be made to those whose supply has been affected.
Approximately 60,000 customers remain without electricity across Northern Ireland with power now restored to 215,000 properties following the extensive damage to the electricity network caused by Friday’s storm. Specialist engineers have arrived from England to help repair the network, but some customers have been told it may be February 3 before their supply is restored.
More than 50 schools in Northern Ireland remained closed on Monday. Ten of those were forced to close because of damage sustained to buildings, while the remainder did not have electricity supply. Around 150 schools were damaged in the storm. Mr Benn visited NIE Network headquarters in Belfast on Monday where he was updated on efforts to restore power to households.
He said: “We have got a way to go yet but we have been working very hard as the UK Government to meet the requests for support from the Northern Ireland Executive. “In these circumstances my job is to make sure that we meet those needs. “The engineers that have come over through the mutual support arrangements, the helicopters that are now here, and as other requests come in we will do our darndest to meet them.
