Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have all had representations from organisations representing the elderly. They have conducted surveys and have come across people who do not light a fire until the afternoon and who go to bed early in the winter to save fuel. Other people resort to taking public transport or taking shelter in public libraries and other public buildings because they simply cannot afford to heat their homes properly for a sufficient period of time to enable them to live comfortably in their homes.

Growing older increasingly seems to mean growing colder. The Minister mentioned that there are other Departments involved in addressing this issue and I recognise that and while I acknowledge that energy efficiency is important, ESRI research into fuel poverty, conducted in 2015, found that the problem of fuel poverty is primarily one of inadequate resources rather than being mainly a housing issue. The Minister has indicated that his Department will deal with this through the fuel allowance and the household benefits package, both of which have been cut although, admittedly, there was a partial restoration of the fuel allowance, which I welcome. Can we look forward to improvements in those areas in the immediate future, for example, next week?

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