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

I am sure people appreciate the Taoiseach's concern for the welfare of our citizens but I am a bit at a loss as to the purpose of his statement. It was a statement of the obvious as, clearly, there will be updates. He did not say anything concrete to bring some relief or comfort to citizens who live in vulnerable places, in particular older citizens and those who live in cold houses. If the Taoiseach goes to the bother of making a statement to the House, I would have thought there would be more substance to it than spin and that he would have something constructive and useful to say to people. I recommend that he consider people living on their own and in vulnerable circumstances, particularly those who are living in fuel poverty. I ask him to come back tomorrow and state on the floor of the Dáil what precisely he is proposing to do to bring relief and comfort to those citizens.

See this speech in context