Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

Perhaps I should ask the Minister to reflect on what it is like to be poor and cold. We are in a very cold spell at the moment, and I ask him to consider the thousands of people who have a choice either to be desperately cold or desperately worried as to whether they can meet their bills. Already, about a quarter of the population is in arrears with some type of household bill.

I ask the Minister not to give the House the type of answers we get time and again, which do not provide a response to the question being asked. In the programme for Government the Minister promised that a fuel poverty strategy would be published in 2009. Why does the Minister make these promises when he does not deliver on them? That is a very clear promise. It is clear that it will be 2011. Why does he do it, and raise people's expectations and hopes, just to dash them?

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