Ulster Unionist Party communities spokesperson and East Belfast MLA Andy Allen MBE, who chairs the All-Party Group on Fuel Poverty, has welcomed the latest extra funding for the Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme (NISEP).

He urged the Economy Minister to maintain the investment over time and align it with the broader strategy to tackle fuel poverty.

Andy Allen MBE MLA said: "The additional investment in NISEP is something I have repeatedly called for, and it is a positive step in supporting low-income households to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

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"Fuel poverty remains a pressing issue for households right across Northern Ireland. Any investment that helps people keep their homes warm and reduce their energy bills is welcome, but it must sit within a longer-term, joined-up approach.

"That approach needs to look at the whole home. It means combining insulation, heating upgrades, and renewables where appropriate, and ensuring NISEP aligns with the wider fuel poverty and warm homes work being taken forward across departments. It must also consider bespoke renewable biofuels, including alternatives such Bio Liquid Petroleum Gas, to ensure rural areas have viable low carbon options and to help level up our efforts to tackle fuel poverty across all communities, urban and rural alike.

"The focus must be on outcomes that genuinely improve people's lives. This is not simply about greener homes, but about delivering real and lasting reductions in energy costs for households already under significant financial pressure.

"I would urge the Minister to sustain and build on this increased investment, and to ensure that tackling fuel poverty remains a central tenet of our energy policy."