Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

We are coming to the time of year when the weather gets colder and families must spend more money heating their homes. The price of home heating oil is now 26% higher than it was this time last year. One of the factors which has contributed to the increase in the price of home heating oil is the carbon levy introduced by the Government in the last budget. When the Minister for Finance introduced that measure he promised that a vouched fuel allowance scheme would be developed to offset the increases for low-income families dependent on such fuel. That vouched fuel allowance scheme has not yet been produced.

The programme for Government committed to the publication of a fuel poverty strategy by the end of 2009 in keeping with the introduction of the carbon levy. The problem of fuel poverty is very real and the energy regulator has told us electricity disconnections are now running at a rate of between 2,000 and 2,500 households per month. Bord Gáis has told us that so far this year, 4,000 homes have been disconnected.

The Labour Party has a motion before the House proposed by Deputy McManus last night which addresses the issue and calls on the Government to introduce the vouched fuel allowance scheme promised in the budget to offset the carbon levy measures for low-income families. It also calls for the publication of the fuel poverty strategy. We were surprised that the Government amendment made no mention of either measure when it was circulated last night and the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in responding to the Labour Party motion, made no commitment to either of them. When will the vouched fuel allowance scheme, promised in last year's budget, be introduced? When will the fuel poverty strategy, promised for the end of 2009, be published?

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