Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

I am pleased to have an opportunity to discuss this issue. As the days get shorter, we observe the annual rise in electricity usage at this time of year. Many elderly and vulnerable people absolutely dread the winter evenings, afraid to turn the heat on or even up a notch and obliged to monitor their electricity usage. Some spend their time sitting in rooms that are unhealthily cold. As the Government finalises its budget for 2009, with all the implications inherent in it for people's capacity to heat their homes, and as we experience the first effects of recent increases in energy prices, we must ensure that the less well off are looked after in this budget. That is our priority.

Unfortunately, Ireland is not immune to the repercussions of oil price changes abroad. We can lessen our exposure only by increasing our energy independence through the use of renewable energy. It is not fair to criticise the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Ryan, given that the Opposition did little in this regard in the past, even though we have been warned of the implications of climate change and energy price hikes for the past 15 or 20 years.

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