Debate contribution: Home Heating Oil: Financial Support

Debate contribution by Mr Matthew O'Toole on 23 March 2026.

MLA: Mr Matthew O'Toole
Party at the time: Social Democratic and Labour Party
Date: 23 March 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: Home Heating Oil: Financial Support
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5465648

Text

I genuinely thank you for that, Minister, but a lot of what you have said is about engagement and making the case to other people. Tomorrow, the Irish Government will announce a package of support. Your party, south of the border, has roasted the Irish Government for not doing enough quickly enough, but it is not clear that, up here, you have done very much at all. You understood three weeks ago that you needed more financial support from London — I am not disputing that need — so why did you not ask your officials then to urgently design what a support scheme could look like? People here who are struggling with costs feel that the Executive are sitting on their hands.

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

Part of an exchange

This follow-up belongs to: Topical question AQT 2191/22-27.

Assessment

Not analysed

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