Government home heating oil subsidy must be meaningful, John O’Dowd says

Stormont Finance Minister John O’Dowd has said any Government subsidy for those who use heating oil to warm their homes must be “meaningful”.

Mr O’Dowd wrote to the Treasury last week calling for a financial intervention over the cost of the energy price spike caused by the war in the Middle East.

Mr O’Dowd told the BBC that the powersharing Executive did not have the “financial wherewithal to make a meaningful contribution to support hard-pressed working families”.

The Prime Minister will make a heating oil announcement later on Monday after Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Treasury officials had “found the money” to help the 1.5 million households relying on the fuel.

Around two-thirds of homes in Northern Ireland use home heating oil.

Mr O’Dowd said: “While we welcome the fact that we now have a clear indication from the Government that there will be a financial intervention, it is going to have to be meaningful, it is going to have to be delivered quickly and it is going to have to make a difference to those who are facing financial crisis.

“We haven’t been given the detail of any scheme, my officials will be engaging further today with Treasury.”

He added: “If it is around £50 million, over a million properties, then the maths is quite simple on that one, it is around £50 per qualified household.

“We have to see if it falls directly under the control of the Executive, then those decisions will be for the Executive to be made.

“If it is in that region of £50 million then I do think the Executive is going to have to have a conversation around how we best use that money to target those most in need.”