Strangford DUP MLA Simon Hamilton will today seek the support of the Stormont Assembly for the introduction of a boiler scrappage scheme in Northern Ireland. The Assembly will debate a motion tabled by Mr Hamilton calling upon the Minister for Social Development to examine the scope for the future introduction of a similar scheme in Northern Ireland to the one already introduced by HM Government in England. Commenting, the Chair of the Social Development Committee said,
“The boiler scrappage scheme was one of the headline grabbers of the Government’s pre-Budget statement in December. The scheme will give people who upgrade from a G rated to an A rated boiler £400 off their purchase.
Whilst the boiler scrappage scheme did not extend to the devolved regions, the Scottish and Welsh Governments have now taken steps to bring in their own versions and this is what I am calling upon the Social development Minister to consider for Northern Ireland.
The benefits of a boiler scrappage scheme are obvious. Helping people to replace old, inefficient heating systems with boilers that have 90 plus energy efficiency will result in the use of less fuel and an average annual saving of £235 on energy bills. It will also seriously reduce CO2 emissions. The English scheme, for example, hopes to replace 125,000 old heating systems which will save 14,000 tonnes CO2 in a year which is the equivalent to taking 45,000 cars off the road. Some of the replacement boilers may also use renewable technologies which bring additional benefits. And of course, the work that has to be carried out creates jobs in manufacturing boilers and installing them and would provide a boost for the local economy.
A boiler scrappage scheme could also help take some people who are unable to benefit from the Warm Homes Scheme out of fuel poverty or stop others from slipping into fuel poverty. The Housing Executive’s 2006 House Condition Survey shows that almost 12,000 homes with an income of £20,000 a year or more are in fuel poverty. It is likely that a great many of these households are ineligible for the likes of the Warm Homes Scheme yet are living in fuel poverty. The working poor can often fall through the gas in schemes like Warm Homes and it is important that we do more to address their needs and a boiler scrappage scheme may be able to go so way to lifting some people out of fuel poverty.
In Northern Ireland we could replicate the English scheme as the Scots have or tailor it like the Welsh to over 60s. What is clear is that with people in every other part of the United Kingdom benefitting from a boiler scrappage scheme, we should ensure that people here are able to obtain the same advantages.
Irrespective of whatever format a scheme would ultimately take, I feel that there is a real opportunity for the Minister for Social Development to seriously investigate the boiler scrappage scheme as a constructive intervention that will result in saving householders money in energy bills, cut CO2 emissions and stimulate the economy."
