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

That is excellent and is, I am sure, met with joy universally. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his opening statement.

There are many things I might have raised with the Taoiseach today as we return to session. I did not think I would be raising the issue of energy costs, but here we are. This morning, people woke to the news that some 1 million of them are to face higher electricity costs from the beginning of October. This is a result of the 3.4% price hike announced by Electric Ireland. It is important that we all understand the level of anger and stress this news will bring.

There is no doubt that the past six months have been incredibly difficult for people. Many have lost their jobs and many others have seen their household income collapse. It is fair to say that families throughout the land are struggling to make ends meet, with hundreds of thousands of people reliant on State income support and many others working reduced hours. Indeed, many people wonder whether they will ever go back to normal working life again. Those working from home have already seen their energy costs increase as a result. Ordinary people have also faced price hikes by insurance companies and banks. The last thing people can afford now is higher electricity bills as we move into winter.

This move by Electric Ireland will add further financial pressure on families. Sinn Féin believes that a freeze on energy prices during the current Covid-19 pandemic should be introduced. There are big fears among the public that this particular hike will kick-start a deluge of price increases. In blunt terms, that would lead to many families finding it incredibly difficult to heat their homes or to turn on a light during a winter that falls in the middle of a global pandemic. EUROSTAT tells us that consumers in Ireland already pay some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. We know that hundreds of thousands of people live in what is called fuel poverty but which means they struggle or are unable to heat their homes. It should be said also that the Government is planning to introduce a significant hike in the carbon tax in the upcoming budget and that this will put increased pressure on those same families.

One cannot blame people, therefore, for thinking that, even in the grip of a public health emergency, rip-off Ireland is alive and well and that big companies will make sure they get their pound of flesh. People hear the words of solidarity and the slogan that we are all in this together and they see the comforting television adverts from companies telling them not to worry or stress and that their service provider has their back, but then their bills go up again.

I say to the Taoiseach very clearly and explicitly that this hike in energy prices is an ask too far. It goes directly against the fairness and understanding that we urge among the public whom we serve. Rather than hiking prices, energy providers should be working with their customers. They should recognise the circumstances in which we find ourselves and they should be moving towards the freeze in prices and costs to which I referred. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene on this matter. I ask him to direct the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to intervene with the regulator, the utility companies, the network provider and anyone else with whom he and the Government must intervene because this needs to be sorted out.

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