Image caption David Cameron was speaking in the House of Commons

Prime Minister David Cameron was unlikely to win votes from many of Northern Ireland's MPs in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

Following a survey which suggests Northern Ireland people are the happiest in the UK, North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds asked Mr Cameron if he would make them even happier by reducing fuel costs.

Mr Cameron's response prompted much laughter in the chamber, but it was hard to ascertain if there were any guffaws from the Northern Ireland contingent.

He said: "Well I am delighted to hear that the people of Northern Ireland are the happiest in the United Kingdom.

"I have to say to that honourable gentleman that their representatives in the house don't always give that impression."

Research from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published this week suggested that Northern Ireland is the happiest place in the UK.

The ONS estimates of subjective well-being were based on a survey of 80,000 adults across the UK during April to September 2011.

Of the four UK countries, Northern Ireland had the highest score for life satisfaction (7.6 out of 10) compared to 7.5 for Scotland and 7.4 for both England and Wales.