A £17 million (€20 million) support package aimed at helping households in Northern Ireland with the soaring cost of home-heating oil is “extremely disappointing” and “significantly below par”, the North’s Minister of Finance has said.
Sinn Féin MLA John O’Dowd said it equated to “around £35 per household” and he would meet the British government again this week to emphasise the requirement for additional funding.
“It’s left us in a position where we can only now help those on the lowest incomes,” he said. “Many workers and families out there are struggling; we need a proper package to support everyone.”
British prime minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday that about £52 million will be made available to support low-income families in the UK who use oil to heat their homes, with £17 million of that allocated to Northern Ireland.
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The British government said this was based on census data “reflecting where the greatest need is” and the “expectation” was that it would be used “to support vulnerable households”.
The funding will be distributed by the Northern Executive. But it is unclear how it will be allocated, who will receive it and how much they will get.
Speaking at Stormont on Monday, O’Dowd said it was “only right and proper that we target those on the lowest incomes”. And the aim would be to provide them with financial assistance as quickly as possible.
The North has been the most exposed region in Britain and Ireland to the rising price of home-heating oil, with some 62 per cent of households using the fuel to heat their homes. This compares with about 3 per cent in England and Wales, 5 per cent in Scotland and 26 per cent in the Republic. And because the sector is unregulated, price rises can be passed on directly to the consumer.
According to the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, which tracks home-heating oil prices, the average cost of 900 litres was £1,042.12 on Monday, almost double the price – £536.72 – before the US-Israeli military campaign began in Iran.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson suggested supports could be means tested to ensure the money was targeted to those who needed it most. He added that if the outcome was “to offer £20 or £30 at a time when costs have doubled, it won’t cut it”.
He said he was willing to work with Sinn Féin Minister for the Economy Caoimhe Archibald, but there was also “a requirement for her to sharpen her pencil and get going with discussions about how best this Executive can target resources effectively to support those who need it most”.
Alliance Party MP Sorcha Eastwood called for “urgent action to get this support out the door to homes across Northern Ireland”. And she also said if the British government was “serious” about addressing the problem, the sum provided should be much more.
The Ulster Unionist Party said that although the funding was “a welcome recognition of the crisis”, the money provided was “a drop in the ocean”.
SDLP leader Claire Hanna said the financial support “won’t do enough” but that “instead of coming up with proposals to intervene, we will now see Executive parties lining up to criticise the UK government alone”.
