Housing market to soften amid Iran war fallout, Nationwide says

He added: “Making certain services free to access, even if they’re paid for elsewhere, adjusting benefit rates so that at least you ensure the lowest income households are adequately protected, or otherwise you’re looking at, sort of, trying to control costs in other ways such as rent control.”

Gallagher, who is from County Fermanagh, said while she welcomed the talks, she hoped that any support mechanisms would reflect the fact that rural homes in Northern Ireland in particular have fewer alternatives to oil, as a lot of areas don’t have gas networks.

Gates’s decision to not speak to the summit came after days of uncertainty over whether he would attend. He is currently in India and had visited the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday, where he reportedly discussed initiatives for boosting health, agriculture, education and technology.