Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On the energy cap, it is either misrepresented or there is a complete misunderstanding of how it was made up because it was absolutely different from the one proposed in Britain. Indeed, it was the one proposed in, I think, 11 other countries across the EU, including Germany, that was found to be absolutely successful. I advise members of the Government to have a look to understand what the proposal was before there is commentary on it.

On the mortgage interest rate relief, I am talking to people such as lone parents and people on lower mortgages. They have been waiting for this and I was telling them as it was going on that the Government was listening. We have been saying since May that the Government was listening and there would be some relief. Their mortgage bill has gone up by hundreds each month and they just do not have the money to pay it. They feel absolutely let down by this proposal. They actually feel worse than before the budget. We talked about proportion earlier on. They see people who can afford their mortgages getting the interest relief while they are left with nothing. That is an absolute fact.

I ask the Minister, if he were to look at nothing else, to please look at this before this Bill goes through and look after those people who just cannot afford it. We do not want to be in a situation where it is those people who are losing their homes. The Minister said they may have equity in their homes and they may very well have, but that will not put oil in their tanks or food on their tables for this winter and the next six months. This is targeted, temporary and is there for a purpose, which is to ease the absolute pressure on people who are at huge risk of poverty, if they are not already in poverty in this situation, and enable them to keep their roof over their heads. It is in nobody’s interest that these people lose their homes or fall into arrears, impacting their credit rating and so on. I ask the Minister to please look at this again and adjust it accordingly to make sure it is equitable for those who can least afford it.