John O'Dowd, the finance minister in the Northern Ireland executive, has described the £17 million allocated by Westminster to help with rising heating oil bills as 'extremely disappointing', the BBC reports. O'Dowd, a Sinn Féin minister in the cross-party executive, said that because almost two thirds of homes in Northern Ireland have oil-fired central heating—the highest proportion by far in the UK—this amounted to just £35 per household. He said the executive would use the money to help the poorest families.
The comments came after Martin McCluskey, the energy minister, made a statement in the Commons about measures announced to help people with rising heating oil bills. The Liberal Democrats also criticised the plans, with leader Ed Davey saying the prime minister's offer would see too many households falling through the cracks and missing out on support. Heating oil customers, he added, have been defenceless against skyrocketing global prices, caught in the crossfire of international tensions.
The £17m package is part of wider government efforts to address the cost-of-living crisis, but critics argue it falls short of what is needed, particularly in Northern Ireland where reliance on heating oil is highest. The issue is expected to be debated further in the coming days.
