John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am not asking the Minister to get into the specifics of budget 2019 but we need to be realistic. The payment does not go far enough. In 2010, a 40 kg bag of coal cost in the region of €13.50 and that now stands at €20 or thereabouts. A bale of briquettes was approximately €2.99 and now it costs approximately €4.80. Energy costs have gone up considerably. I agree that retrofitting homes needs to happen but it is not happening quickly enough for many of the families we are talking about.

The fuel allowance payment is a very targeted measure that can be used. The Minister indicated previously that there would be a conversation within the Department to have a look at the payments and the length of time involved. Will she clarify what it is she is looking at in that regard? I am not looking for information on what kind of internal conversations are going on about budget 2019, I am trying to discover what analysis is being carried out now?

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