Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Last January was the coldest January in the past ten years. Sub-zero temperatures are again forecast for the coming weekend, which means the cold will be eating into many people's homes around the country. Right around Ireland, people are choosing whether to heat their homes or feed their families and whether to turn on the heating or purchase clothing for their families. It is incredible that such choices are still being made in this country in 2021, at a time when this is one of the richest countries in the world.

Through no fault of their own, the incomes of many people have collapsed. Many people, particularly those who are self-employed, have had their ability to earn an income deleted due to Government mismanagement of the Covid crisis. I know of a woman who stays in bed for a longer period each day in order that she will not have to turn on the heating in her house. With many people staying at home because they are working from home or have lost their jobs, there is far more pressure in this regard. Heating is a far bigger proportion of the weekly spend in family homes than it was previously. The Minister need not take my word for it. Recently released figures for CO2 show there has been a 6% decrease in CO2 overall, but in housing there was a 9% increase in the level of CO2 generated last year. That is proof positive that there has been an enormous increase in the level of heating of homes.

Even before Covid, Ireland had an extremely high level of fuel poverty. In 2019, EUROSTAT stated that Ireland had the highest increase in gas prices and the fifth-highest increase in electricity prices across the EU. Just before Covid, it was estimated that 8% of the population, or 393,417 people, were experiencing fuel poverty. That is incredible. The Minister should think about that. Some 393,417 people were in fuel poverty across the State just before Covid hit. That came about under the Governments in which she has been involved in one shape or another for the past ten years. It is absolutely ridiculous. It makes no logical sense that a person must be in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for in excess of 15 months before qualifying for fuel allowance. I ask the Minister to explain to me and to those 393,000 people the logic of that. Heating is an immediate issue. It is not something that can be postponed until a person qualifies under the Government's regime. During these unprecedented and extraordinary times, we in Aontú believe these rules have to be scrapped. Anybody who has been made unemployed as a result of the pandemic should have access to the fuel allowance.

I welcome the Sinn Féin motion. However, I will say that the rate of fuel poverty in the North of Ireland is estimated to be at 42% of the population, according to the Department for Communities in the North of Ireland. Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party have one thing in common: none of them is doing enough to tackle the scourge of fuel poverty in the jurisdictions in which they have power.

There are three major influences on fuel poverty. First and foremost, there is income. Income has an immediate effect over the ability of a family to provide heating and that is why it is imperative that this Government addresses income in the form of fuel allowances and other supports to families.

The second influence on fuel poverty is the cost of energy and here, too, the Government is a complete laggard. I have raised this issue with the Minister for years now. All across Europe, people are reducing their energy costs with the microgeneration of energy. In the North of Ireland, roofs are festooned with solar panels. Each of those families is plugged into the grid, earning income for that electricity and, as a result, they save on energy costs at that moment and earn an income to offset energy costs for heating their homes in the winter time. Ireland, this jurisdiction, is the only jurisdiction in the EU that still has not one microgeneration project plugged into the national grid.

The third major influence on fuel poverty is the energy efficiency of homes. Ireland has been glacial in rolling out the deep retrofitting of the housing stock. It has been absolutely glacial. A Government with real ambition on fuel poverty and the environment would be significantly ramping up the insulation of homes across the country.

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