Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I note that despite the fact that the Taoiseach may have changed, the same robotic, out of touch, insensitive politics still remain in place under the new regime. The Taoiseach seems to have great faith in the bin companies and the waste operators. He tells us that he is establishing a watchdog. He accepts that there is no price regulation. Good for him. He needs to remedy that and he needs to go much further. He needs to step outside of his robotic zone and connect himself with the real world, the world in which people now worry that they cannot afford this bill. That might sound like scripted outrage to the Taoiseach's delicate ears, but sadly, it is the reality that people have now experienced for many years under the watch of Fine Gael. It is important that those of us elected here come in and reflect that reality to people like the Taoiseach, who are clearly at some distance from it. What will the Taoiseach do for people in ill health, for people with disabilities, for our older citizens, and for large families that cannot make this bill? What alleviation measures will he introduce and when will we see the detail of them?

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