Home heating oil payment 'completely inadequate' says SDLP MLA

The £100 Government payment to home heating oil users is "completely inadequate" and will condemn families to cold homes this winter, a Mid Ulster MLA has said.
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SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone was speaking after the UK government confirmed the £100 would be paid in the form of a credit towards electricity bills.

He said this would do little to help people purchase much needed oil and urged the government to adopt the SDLP’s proposal to provide 1000 litres of free home heating oil to every qualifying household through a voucher scheme.

He said: “The current support being offered to home heating oil customers by the British Government will do little to help people get that oil into their tanks.

SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster Patsy McGlone.SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster Patsy McGlone.
SDLP MLA for Mid Ulster Patsy McGlone.

“The £100 will not pay for the minimum order that most oil companies require for a delivery to be made, and paying this money through electricity bills will provide no help to those who do not have the disposable income to cover the cost of that minimum order.

"A lot of people are already struggling to pay for the bare necessities and can't afford to put any money towards buying oil in the first place.

“The SDLP has proposed a solution that will help the majority of people in Northern Ireland heat their homes this winter and prevent them from getting ill or worse.“We are only party that has attempted to address this desperate situation.

“Our plan to provide for 1000 litres of home heating oil to those who need it should be introduced before it’s too late - temperatures are already plummeting and the pressure on families is increasing every day.

“We have seen similar support brought forward for gas customers and there is no valid reason why the same can't be done for those who depend on oil.

“We cannot allow people to be left in the cold this winter because of a British government that cares little about an issue that mainly impacts people in the North, and the DUP’s insistence on pursuing identity politics while hard-working people go cold and hungry.

“This £100 ‘support’ totally ignores the reality of the emergency facing families across the North - they need real help, and they need it now.”