UK Government ‘will have to act’ on rising fuel costs, says Little-Pengelly

The UK Government will have to act to support people affected by rising fuel costs as a result of the war in Iran, Emma Little-Pengelly has said.

The Deputy First Minister, speaking during Assembly Questions, responded to criticisms the Executive had not taken enough practical steps to support individuals and businesses in Northern Ireland struggling with increasing prices.

Fuel costs have risen sharply around the world since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran.

Ms Little-Pengelly said she recognised that “many people are facing pressure at the moment” and said there had been a “significant amount of work, right across all of the departments, led by the Executive Office, through our civil contingencies groups”.

The Executive had raised the issue “directly” with the Prime Minister when he visited Northern Ireland a month ago and written to him recently, she said.

On Friday, Ms Little-Pengelly and First Minister Michelle O’Neill wrote to Sir Keir urging him to bring forward a package of support measures.

They asked Westminster to look at reducing fuel duty, targeted support for hauliers, farmers and small and medium enterprises, and a ⁠comprehensive cost-of-living support package.

Addressing the chamber on Monday, Ms Little-Pengelly said: “The UK Government has the ability to do something about these things.

“When it comes to tax, for example, or duty on fuel, then that is a matter for the UK Government, that is why we have asked them.

“I do believe that this is a UK Government that will have to act to support people who are really, genuinely feeling that squeeze.”

She said she had also attended a “very high-level ministerial meeting with officials right across the UK”.

She said the Economy Minister had “set up the supply chain group to monitor the supply, particularly of fuel into Northern Ireland, and that group is co-ordinating across the UK”.

In response to her answer, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said: “I didn’t hear a single specific action there that the Executive itself had led on.”

The opposition agreed that the UK Government had responsibility relating to “fuel duty and things of that nature”, Mr O’Toole said.

But he listed a number of measures, including engaging with farmers and small businesses, reducing transport fares, and supporting domiciliary care workers to get around the country, that he said could be taken.

“The Executive has done none of that”, he said.

“Your party and Sinn Fein have sought to theatrically blame one another and then shift responsibilities to London.”

Ms Little-Pengelly said there had been a “significant amount of action”.

She added that she had “specifically raised the point to the Health Minister at the last Executive in relation to those costs for domiciliary care workers”.

She said: “There is a wide range of actions. Unfortunately, two minutes does not allow me to go through that, but I can assure the public who are listening to this that we are following the process that is set down in terms of our civil contingency mechanisms.”

She said various teams were working with colleagues across the UK to make sure they had “hourly monitoring of the situation”, adding that the Executive was “pressing the UK Government to take action”.

Mr O’Toole also took aim at Ms Little-Pengelly for flying to the US to meet President Donald Trump and “plamas and flatter the man who caused this crisis in the first place with his reckless war”.

Ms Little-Pengelly said that she had engaged with the US president as he was “a person with huge influence in the globe”.

“I did my job and stepped forward, because I will always stand up for the interests of Northern Ireland and make sure that I seize every opportunity to promote Northern Ireland,” she said.