Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague, Deputy Kerrane, for tabling five important amendments to this Bill. Sinn Féin's amendments will help carers, those at risk of fuel poverty, jobseekers and workers, such as musicians and I hope the Government supports them.

I will raise a number of issues with the Minister. Workers in the aviation sector have faced a particularly significant challenge this year, with many on substantially reduced wages or having been let go altogether. I and other Sinn Féin representatives have repeatedly raised the case of Aer Lingus workers, who were being obstructed by their employer and the Minister's Department from accessing social welfare entitlements. This issue was eventually resolved for the EWSS but it has not been resolved for the TWSS. We are told by the Department that workers will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis but the truth is, on a case-by-case basis, these workers are crying foul. They are seeing a cut-and-paste response from the Department. For days in April, May and June when they were explicitly told by their employer they were on reduced days, their UP80 form is coming back all Os and no Xs. Unpaid leave is turning into something else. I call on the Minister in the strongest terms to intervene personally in this matter.

I turn to the matter of fuel and energy poverty. I welcome the increase of €3.50 per week in the fuel allowance. However, this is the Government giving with one hand and taking far more back with the other. The 14% increase in the fuel allowance is totally eclipsed by the 30% increase announced in the carbon tax and the 130% hike in the electricity public service obligation, PSO, levy. The punitive carbon tax will increase the price of a bag of coal or tank of oil for people as they try to heat their homes over winter. The enormous increase in the PSO levy will leave households with higher bills over the next 12 months.

Under section 25 of the Social Welfare (No. 2) Act 2019, the Minister was required to commission an impact assessment on the current and projected future increases in carbon tax on low-income families. It found from various researches conducted that carbon tax increases will impact disproportionately on low-income households. That needs to be addressed and I encourage the Minister to do it in this Bill.

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