Debate contribution: Household Energy Costs

Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on 7 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Colin McGrath

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

7 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Household Energy Costs

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5165158

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. Thank you, again, to the Members who tabled the motion and to colleagues across the Chamber for their contributions to what has been a constructive debate. We may not agree on all the details, but there is quite a lot that we agree on, and that, in this place, is something to grasp hold of. Much of what was said reflects what I have been hearing in my constituency, namely that fuel poverty, poor insulation and rising energy costs are not an abstract policy issue but the lived realities for far too many of our constituents. Members on all sides will agree that the condition of our housing stock is simply not good enough and that tackling that has to be a priority if we are serious about climate action and tackling poverty. A number of Members highlighted the importance of driving down energy costs through renewables and energy security. That is vital. As others pointed out, however, if the heat generated is simply escaping through poorly insulated windows and walls, we are setting people up to fail. As an MLA for South Down, I see that every day. A moment during one of the colder elections has stayed with me. I spoke to a woman who, due to being so cold, was wrapped in two blankets, and she begged me to take her gas canister with me when I left because it was doing absolutely nothing for her. The real issue was that her windows would not close properly, and any heat in the home was simply escaping. That was a problem not of poor heating but of poor insulation and shoddy housebuilding. As many Members will have heard in their constituencies, that story is not unique. Several colleagues rightly drew attention to the longer-term impact on health, poverty and economic inactivity. We know that prolonged exposure to cold contributes to illness. It keeps people out of work and locks families into poverty. That is why the SDLP tabled its amendment. What we are calling for is clear: it is cross-departmental working, because this is not an issue for one Minister alone. It demands cooperation between Communities, Economy, Infrastructure and Finance, and it demands more than words. It demands a credible, low-carbon housing road map with measurable targets for retrofitting, improved standards for new builds and targeted support for low-income households. The amendment that we have proposed is based on detailed proposals set out in the SDLP's 'Building Firm Foundations' paper on housing, which was a plan to deliver warmer, more affordable and more sustainable homes across the North. It reflects our approach as a serious and constructive Opposition, one that brings forward new ideas and credible policy solutions and not just criticism. Some Members spoke about the scale of the challenge, and they are right: it is absolutely enormous. In 2021, the UK's Construction Leadership Council estimated that it would take 20 years and cost around £525 billion to retrofit Britain's 29 million homes. Those figures underline the scale of what is ahead but also the scale of ambition that we must bring to the issue. While the North is, of course, smaller in scale, the challenge here is just as urgent. I want to echo points made by others about the future. The reality is that we are still building the houses of the past even as we move into the future. Grainia Long of the Housing Executive has been absolutely clear:

"We need action now, and a retrofitting fund to support it. If we do not invest today, we will only pay more tomorrow."

I urge Members to support the amendment. Now is the time to set out a credible, coordinated and ambitious road map for low-carbon housing to give people homes that are warm and affordable and to show that, in tackling the climate crisis, we are also tackling fuel poverty, economic inactivity and inequality. This is not just about climate policy: it is about dignity, health and the futures of the people whom we all represent.

680 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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