Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion and giving us the chance to have this discussion. It was slightly less than edifying to see the senior Minister appear to make light of some of the pleas from the Opposition. It does not surprise me coming as it does from that particular quarter. I note that the Minister did not stay for the full debate as he has left the Chamber.

Sinn Féin will support this motion. We are on record for a long time as calling for an energy price break and a windfall tax on energy companies, which are making super-profits not just an ordinary level of eye-watering profit. They are making super-profits and were doing this in advance of the war in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has increased the super-profits these companies make.

You have to place those super-profits made by these fantastically wealthy companies as facilitated by the Government, which the Green Party tells us it is so proud to be a member of, against the shocking statistics released by Barnardos this week where they told us that one in ten parents had to visit a food bank. Part of the reason why they visit food banks is because there are certain bills in a household that are non-negotiable. You have to keep the lights on and the children warm so, therefore, you must put your pride in your back pocket and go to a food bank; you have to pay your bills and feed your children so you take whatever help is there. There is no shame in a person visiting a food bank. The shame is on the Government that created the conditions under which people have been forced to visit food banks.

There is no shame in not being able to pay your bills; the shame is on the Government for not recognising that people are struggling and in desperate circumstances.

Energy price hikes hit those on low and fixed incomes the hardest. The Minister of State knows this, and yet they are the ones at the business end of decisions taken by the Government, who feel as though they have been forgotten, who hear Ministers and other representatives of the Green Party on the media almost delighting in the fact people's habits have changed because the price of energy has increased. Of course, they have changed from being habitually or occasionally warm to being unable to stay warm in their own homes. That is not something to be proud of, nor is it something they should be ashamed of. The shame is on the Government.

We welcome the points in the motion relating to the Energy Charter Treaty. I commend my party colleague Senator Boylan not just on the work she has done in the Seanad on this but also on the considerable work she continues to do. In fact, I think most people would not even have heard of the treaty were it not for the work and leadership provided by Senator Boylan on this matter. While the Government has not been sued directly under the treaty, it has probably been influenced by the threat of legal action, including the failure to revoke existing fossil fuel exploration licences, as was reported in the Irish Independent.

In his opening remarks, the Minister said, "If a decision is made for a co-ordinated exit of EU member states from the treaty, Ireland will support that position" and withdraw. Have they not for a moment considered providing a modicum of leadership on this, or will they just sit back and wait for the grown-ups to make decisions as though they are children sitting at the small table, waiting for the adults to take a decision? The Government should lead on this.

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