Minister and Committee Chair Clash Over Energy Bill Support
Stormont's economy minister has engaged in a heated exchange with the chair of an assembly committee while defending her department's management of UK government funding allocated to reduce energy bills.
Tensions arose as Caoimhe Archibald rejected criticism from Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) assembly member Phillip Brett concerning plans for £81 million designated to address household electricity costs.
The Sinn Féin minister accused Brett and his party of making
"numerous false statements", while Brett accused Archibald of having a
"record of dither and delay".
The confrontation occurred during a special meeting of the economy committee on Monday, following confusion the previous week regarding the support package.
The funding originates from an announcement made during the UK budget in November.
All households in Northern Ireland are expected to receive a £30 annual reduction in their electricity bills for a period of three years.
Archibald explained that the scheme requires legislation to be passed at Westminster, which she anticipates will occur by summer.
The DUP had criticized the minister and the Department for the Economy (DfE) after its senior official was unable to provide details of the scheme during a committee meeting the previous week.
Addressing the economy committee on Monday, Archibald strongly criticized the DUP's response.
"Either you do not understand the situation or you are deliberately seeking to mislead the public,"she stated in her opening remarks to the committee.
She further added:
"The reality is my department has worked diligently to secure the average £30 reduction to electricity bills.
This scheme would not even have applied here if it weren't for the efforts of my own department and the Department of Finance.
It will be delivered to households as fast as possible, which is only possible when the British government lays the necessary legislation."
The minister also claimed the DUP was
"desperately seeking to distract from their original cheerleading stance"on the war in Iran.
Committee Chair Responds to Minister's Remarks
Brett, who chairs the committee, told the minister that
"timeframes in this department just seem to slip and slip".
He added:
"If you're going to lecture me, minister and my party in relation to timeframes, you might want to stick to some of your timeframes."
"I would encourage you, with your continued delays, rather than engaging in personal attacks upon me, your record of dither and delay speaks for itself."
Archibald responded by rejecting the chair's assertions.
"I would reject the chair's assertions."
Reactions from Other Assembly Members
Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) assembly member Sinéad McLaughlin described the exchanges as
"exhausting" and "unseemly".
Alliance Party assembly member David Honeyford stated he was
"not interested in the party political DUP-Sinn Féin fight here."
In response, the minister emphasized:
"This isn't party political."
