Deja Vu All Over Again
Back on May 29th the Assembly debated the pressing issue of fuel poverty. Members began discussing the matter between 4.15pm and 4.30pm. Just after 5.45pm, members supported the Ulster Unionist motion "That this Assembly calls on the Minister for Social Development to review the strategy for the eradication of fuel poverty, particularly amongst pensioner households and households with children."
It's a bit surprising then that on the provisional order paper circulated amongst the parties for next Tuesday the UUP is wanting to debate exactly the same issue with exactly the same motion. The Alliance Deputy Leader Naomi Long has called on the Ulster Unionists to withdraw the motion immediately. “There are so many groups lobbying local MLAs who want their concerns raised in the Assembly" she says "to be debating exactly the same motion again is disappointing and reflects very badly on those who proposed it. Whilst we recognise that it is vitally important to tackle the issue of fuel poverty, the UUP should not be proposing the same motion twice. I hope that this is merely an administrative oversight from the UUP, and not evidence that they have run out of fresh ideas so soon after the summer recess.”
Perhaps a substitute motion could be drafted in the style of the great baseball player Yogi Berra, who uttered the words " It's deja vu all over again".
UPDATE: The motion's proposer Roy Beggs Jr. says his party has deliberately brought this issue back to the Chamber because the Social Development Minister has failed to conduct the review called for in May. Strange they didn't change the wording of the motion to reflect this...
I'm 
