Dickson Speaks Out on Rising Energy Costs in the Assembly Chamber

Stewart spoke in the Chamber on 2nd November about the seriousness of the rising energy costs crisis. His full speech is detailed below.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue of grave public concern.

The timing could not be more urgent. The energy crisis has emphasised the need for real, meaningful, and permanent change.

Sadly, record-high energy prices will plunge thousands of households into Fuel Poverty this Winter, with costs increasing at up to 35 per cent in some areas. A crisis sparked by many factors but ultimately due to a rising global demand for unsustainable energy.

Prices skyrocketed after the pandemic as demand rebounded quicker than expected. The rise in energy prices that we're seeing will happen time and time again while we continue to rely on fossil fuels as our dominant energy system. We must consider that gas is a vital tool in the electricity system and, therefore, has a massive impact on our electricity bills, way more than in Europe.

The perfect storm has been brewing, and people are desperate - facing rising energy prices, cuts to welfare and a long, cold winter. Even before the pandemic, over 160,000 households in Northern Ireland lived in fuel poverty. With no end to high prices in sight, we must address this now and soften its impact.

Removing the Universal Credit uplift could not come at a more critical time, when many household budgets are already stretched thin. A report by Citizens Advice said the poorest households could lose £37.40 a week. Why, in a Season of giving, are we only taking away?

Over 300,000 people in Northern Ireland already live on the breadline. The Northern Ireland Poverty Bulletin report that one

in four children live in poverty. Taking away the Universal Credit uplift will only plunge another 11,000 children into poverty.

We, as a Chamber, must fight against poverty in all its forms. We cannot just pay lip service to Fuel Poverty, Food Poverty, Clothing Poverty or Period Poverty. We need to address that many of our constituents cannot afford bare essentials.

No one should be forced to choose between eating or heating. It is an absolute failure of government policy, and it entrenches pre-existing inequalities.

Keeping warm is a fundamental human right, and it is wrong that so many people are struggling in a cold home when we are living in a developed country like Northern Ireland.

Our most disadvantaged are suffering in our silence. Children from cold homes are twice as likely to suffer from respiratory problems as those living in warm homes. We need urgent action to maintain support for people in vulnerable circumstances.

But we also need long-term solutions. We need fully funded energy programmes to insulate and retro-fit homes to make them energy-efficient. We need to change the energy price framework, which currently charges a ‘higher rate’ to those who have ‘the least’ and ‘use the least energy'.

We have made some progress towards tackling fuel poverty in recent years, but I do not believe we have done enough. Unprecedented price rises threaten to wipe out any good done and put pressure on vulnerable households.

Funding must be put aside to ensure people can heat their homes. We need to invest in greener energy and sustainable, insulated housing. Our most disadvantaged live in poorly insulated homes, and these people will suffer the most from

rising energy prices. Cold homes are estimated to pay £50 more a month, and many people are at breaking point.

This is why Alliances Green New Deal focuses on sustainable energy and ending fuel poverty, why it recognises that we must build a secure and thriving green economy that delivers for everyone.

It is unacceptable that so many people are living on the breadline, in cold and damp homes that are not energy efficient. Now more than ever, we need a revolutionary shift in policy by promoting sustainability and reducing inequality.

The decisions we take now will determine whether this is a crisis when we support vulnerable households or a catastrophe that we let them fall into. We have an opportunity to re-imagine our communities, but this most involve an all-encompassing cross-departmental scheme.

An example of this is currently being showcased in London, with its release of the Future Neighbourhoods Plan 2030. It puts long-term emphasis on ending restructuring our economy and ending inequalities through its Green New Deal, focusing on disadvantaged residents who have been disproportionately affected by Fuel Poverty, Unemployment or the Covid Pandemic and will aim to impact residents as soon as this Winter.

An emergency fund would go some way in reducing fuel poverty, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed. It’s time to put long-term emphasis on restructuring our economy and ending dependency on unreliable and climate destroying fossil fuels. Focus must be shifted to retrofitting, decarbonisation and an integrated energy system. No one's life should be drastically altered by something as volatile as energy prices.