Financial Assistance Package

Well it was the first plenary session for the Assembly today. One of the main items on the agenda was the Financial Assistance Bill. This Bill will give the Executive a special fund to tackle emergencies this could include flooding and will include a £15m package for fuel poverty.

All good. But i have a potential issue. The present fuel poverty package needs to be introduced swiftly. It appears that the Office of First and Deputy First Minister are leading the charge on this issue. What role for Social Development? It is the job of this Department to lead and solve fuel poverty. Eventually the new funds will have to be distributed and Social Development is the only department set up to deliver this. There is much room for confusion and delay. This cannot be allowed to happen. No one will really care who is at fault, except those interested in points scoring rather than those in need, and people will continue to suffer.

If the funds were offered to 100,000 families as a financial credit then there is a possibility that it could be delivered more quickly and with more confidence that the money will be used for fuel.

It is essential that there are absolutely no delays and those who engage in making the issue of fuel poverty a points scoring excercise should be punished at the polls.