Debate contribution: Energy Security: Renewables
Debate contribution by Mr Declan Kearney on .
- MLA
- Mr Declan Kearney
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 24 March 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Energy Security: Renewables
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5463814
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The fallout from the US/Israeli war against Iran has resulted in a global energy shock that is directly impacting on the least well off in our society, placing hard-pressed families into deeply precarious situations. In the midst of the existing cost-of-living crisis, workers and their families are now faced with unsustainable costs to heat their homes and fuel their vehicles. The local oilmen no longer sell fill-ups of tanks; they sell 10- and 20-gallon drums to their customers. There is agreement in this discussion that our energy security has been fundamentally disrupted. The real danger, however, is that this shock will have damaging long-term and potentially permanent consequences in the foreseeable future. A radical approach will be needed to navigate the extent of the crisis in order to protect our working families and the most vulnerable members of our community. That will require maximum collaboration between all Departments. In short, a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach is required. We took that position during the global COVID pandemic, when we attempted to develop a whole-of-government, whole-of-society approach in our response. There has to be engagement with the oil consortia and energy industry representatives. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the British Government generate about £24 billion to £25 billion a year from fuel duties. Taxes on petrol and diesel are 52·95p per litre, with VAT at 20% on top of that. Look at what is happening in Spain: that Government have already acted by reducing VAT on fuel products from 21% to 10%. Today, the Irish Government will introduce cuts in excise duty on petrol and diesel, although I will say that they have, to date, failed to deliver the interventions that are required to assist working families with home heating oil costs. This war should not be used as an excuse to rip off hard-pressed working people.
Thanks. Thanks for that intervention, but we have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We need a binary approach. We need to address the scale of the difficulties challenging working families, and we need to look strategically at how to get on top of the spiralling costs associated with fossil fuels. The British Government should act immediately by making decisive cuts in taxes and in VAT on petrol, diesel and home heating oil to bring down prices for all our consumers. The reality in times of crisis is that oil companies increase their profits. Kate referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Take that as an example: it is estimated that, in the four years since the Russians invaded Ukraine, the five major global oil companies have profited by $0·5 trillion. Only big businesses benefit from the economics of war. The victims of the economics of war are ordinary working people and the most vulnerable in our society. The poor always end up worse off. The British Government should, as an immediate measure, introduce a decisive windfall tax on all oil and gas producers. The British Government have the necessary levers to alleviate the pressures faced by customers. They should do so immediately by reducing duties on fuel for consumers and introducing a tax on the profiteers. However, doing so is a matter of political choice: you have to make the political decision that you are prepared to take that option. Locally, our Department for Communities is responsible for putting a heat support scheme in place as soon as possible. That needs to be addressed, and it comes back to my earlier point about the requirement for a whole-of-government approach. The increasing volatility in global relations and fossil fuel markets underscores the absolute urgency of progressing a renewable energy strategy. That is critical to reducing our collective vulnerability to geostrategic events beyond our control, such as the one that we are living through.
Moving away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy will take time and strategic investment, but we can no longer prevaricate when it comes to how we address the challenges of energy insecurity. We are facing an existential challenge, so the immediate action that is required to deal with the unpredictability of the current energy shocks must be stepped out. At the same time, however, we must accelerate efforts to develop a strong, strategic focus on a just transition towards —
— the implementation of a comprehensive renewable energy strategy.
726 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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