£600 Northern Ireland energy payment rollout welcome but NI still missing out on further measures, says UUP MLA Andy Allen

The party’s communities spokesperson, Andy Allen, has highlighted the UK government’s recently announced ‘ECO+ scheme’ which will soon be up-and-running in Great Britain to help pepole insulate their homes.

Mr Allen, in a statement, said the £600 support now on its way to households in Northern Ireland is only a “short term measure will only go so far in supporting those who most need it”.

His comments echo a similar statement from the DUP MP Carla Lockhart, who also welcomed the rollout of the payments in an interview with the News Letter earlier this week but warned it is only a “drop in the ocean” when it comes to the wider cost-of-living crisis.

East Belfast MLA Mr Allen is now calling for specific, longer-term interventions he believes could be pursued by the Northern Ireland Executive – if it were up-and-running.

"Whilst these [£600] payments are vital in the here and now, they will do little to reduce fuel poverty which, according to a recent report from the University of York’s Social Policy Unit, estimates more than 70% of Northern Ireland households will be in fuel poverty - the worst of all the United Kingdom regions,” the UUP MLA said.

"Yet we have no fuel poverty strategy nor a functioning Government to implement and further develop the short, medium and long-term interventions required.”

He continued: “One such measure is energy efficiency, such as cavity wall and loft insulation, which is being delivered on a large scale in England through the £1 billion ECO+ scheme. This will see hundreds of thousands of homes across the country receive new home insulation, which they estimate will save consumers around £310 a year. It is estimated that poor wall insulation accounts for 35-45% of heat loss in a home.”

He added: “Another possible measure could be to increase investment in the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP), administered by the Energy Saving Trust, providing targeted energy efficiency measures such as LED light bulbs, draught-proofing, remote smart heating controls, radiator panels and more.”