Executive parties need to focus on agreeing a clear ask of the UK Government around a potential support package for households struggling with the huge increases in the cost of energy, SDLP Economy spokesperson Sinead McLaughlin has said ahead of an emergency committee meeting tomorrow which will take evidence from the Economy minister.
The Foyle MLA said that while it was reasonable for the Executive to ask the UK Government for additional financial support given the scale of the spike in oil prices, ministers had failed so far to offer any detail or preparation on what kind of support scheme they hoped to introduce, despite energy policy being devolved.
Instead of focusing on the needs of hard-pressed families here, the two main parties have either shifted responsibility to the UK government or picked fights with one another, McLaughlin said.
She added that she would be pressing Caoimhe Archibald on why her department had taken so long to produce a coherent response to the crisis.
Sinead McLaughlin said:
“The Executive response to this crisis has been shambolic. While ministers have sought to shift responsibility or blame each other, families who rely oil to heat their homes are suffering and worrying about costs.
“While the Executive may need additional finances from London to deliver a support scheme, there is nothing stopping them designing and preparing for a support scheme.
“Thus far, they have either been sitting on their hands, squabbling with one another or – in the case of the Minister responsible- sightseeing in Hollywood.
“The public deserve better than this. The least the Executive could do is produce a coherent, collaborative response to this crisis. They have failed miserably and I intend to put this failure directly to the Economy minister.”
ENDS
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