Member's statement: Fuel Poverty Strategy
Member's statement by Ms Kellie Armstrong on .
- MLA
- Ms Kellie Armstrong
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 3 November 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Fuel Poverty Strategy
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5212839
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I will bring the House back to something that is relevant to Northern Ireland and that affects so many of our constituents. This morning, National Energy Action Northern Ireland revealed research that confirmed that 27% of households in Northern Ireland are living in fuel poverty. That is 27% of our neighbours, friends and family who are living in fuel poverty. Now, you would think that we would have a plan for that, but our fuel poverty strategy still sits in draft form in the Department for Communities and has not seen the light of day. What is worse about it, and all should pay attention to this, is the fact that over 50% of our pensioners and over 60% of our people with disabilities live in fuel poverty. It is November. It is getting colder. While others are worried about everything else, they are failing to deliver for people who live in cold homes in Northern Ireland today. The research that was announced this morning confirmed that our Government, and the Minister for Communities in particular, are failing to deliver for the people who are living here by allowing them to continue to live in cold homes in the social housing and private rented sectors. The House has agreed legislation stating that energy efficiency standards will be introduced. Where are they? They have not seen the light of day. What is the hold-up with them? We have heard waffle after waffle about when the fuel poverty strategy might come forward. It is November. We still do not have a fuel poverty strategy, and we have 27% of households here living in cold homes. We have over 50% of our pensioners living in cold homes. What are we doing, folks? Are we just here for a game? Today in Northern Ireland, people will go without heat in their houses. Sadly, the research confirms that people are not turning on their heat. They are not eating in order to have enough money to pay for oil heating. Where is our strategy to get rid of oil heating? For goodness' sake, we are so far behind the rest of the Western World on our heating programmes here that it is unbelievable. Rising energy costs are harming people here today. That is not mentioned in the Programme for Government, and it is time that it were. If we do not have a fuel poverty strategy in place to influence the future three-year Budget, it will be a shame on the House and a shame on the Minister for Communities. Too many people are getting into debt or are sitting cold in their home because this place is not delivering. It is time to get to action, folks. I do not want any pensioner to die in a cold home on our watch.
468 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.05 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.93).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.93 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.77 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.20 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.03 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:46 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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