Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am bitterly disappointed with the Government's response to this motion. There is nothing new at all in its amendment. I have read the real-life stories of people who are struggling to pay their bills. There is nothing for them in this amendment. I have repeatedly raised the issue of fuel costs with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. My first ask related to the 15-month rule. This means that if one loses one's job tomorrow, one will typically get €203 in jobseeker's allowance. This can represent a very great reduction in one's weekly income but one must wait 15 months for assistance with one's fuel costs. Neither Minister made reference to that issue. I have asked the Minister about this 15-month rule on two previous occasions and twice she has told me that she has looked at it. Despite this, she did not mention it today.

If the supplementary welfare allowance is available and is doing fine and if it is what we should be pushing, why are ten organisations on the ground, including lone-parent organisations, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Children's Rights Alliance and Barnardos, calling for more? They are saying that what the Minister is doing is not enough. I have just searched the allowance on Google, as many listening at home would if they were struggling, and there is no mention of help with fuel costs or utility bills. The first line of the article I have found says that one can apply if one has no income. Where is the Minister publicising this? She needs to publicise it more. Is it publicised in the offices? Most offices are closed so people cannot see that. I ask the Minister at least to roll out some information so that people know the allowance is available because people are not aware of it.

There is nothing new in the Minister's amendment. The only new announcement for PUP recipients is that they are going to face tax bills. That is it. I appreciate that the Minister has said there is a cost in what we are proposing. I know that, but what is the cost of taking no action? We know that this State is spending billions every year dealing with poverty but we are taking no action on this. The Minister has spoken about the fuel allowance and about household benefits packages, neither of which people on the PUP can access. Hence the whole point of this motion in the first place. The Minister has taken exception to the €5 million fund. That is an ask from those very ten organisations that I have met and that I welcome that the Minister has said she has met. That is their ask; it is not a Sinn Féin one. It is coming from those people on the ground who are saying that what is there is not enough.

In response to Deputy Bruton who spoke a great deal about the type of heating that houses are using, that is well and good, but the reality is that people cannot afford to change their type of heating. When the Government keeps increasing the carbon tax, which will be increased by €7.50 in a few weeks, that makes it even more out of reach for people. They cannot afford to change their heating systems. I take exception to what has been said on the carbon tax increases and the non-impact that these will have on people. The Minister has a report by her own Department that tells her that the incoming increases and future increases in the carbon tax will impact low-income households disproportionately. I will send the Minister that report, although I can see her shaking her head. It is there in black and white. This is an issue that has been raised over and over again.

Reference was made to the warmer homes scheme. Again, this is great, but there are more than 8,000 people on a waiting list for that. I was speaking to a lady the other day and she has an application in since July 2019. Yes, those schemes are great, but if people cannot access them and are waiting nearly two years just to hear back, then that is a problem.

I ask the Minister to reconsider the position on utility bills and costs. This is not just coming from us and, in fairness, the Opposition is totally united in telling the Minister that there is a problem here, that workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and the families of those workers are suffering. They are struggling with these bills and we need the Minister to take action on them. That is the ask.

The double payment of the fuel allowance in February has been done before. It will cost approximately €20 million and will help people who are already in receipt of the fuel allowance who are struggling to meet their heating bills because more people are spending more time at home to comply with the public health restrictions. This means that they are using more electricity and heat. We need to take action on that. What the Minister’s amendment is suggesting is that the Government is spending a great deal of money on the PUP and on the employment wage subsidy scheme, and that is fine. What we and the organisations on the ground are saying to the Minister is that this is not enough. The cost of doing nothing is far greater than the cost of €200 million to take action. I ask the Minister to look at what we have done in the North just last week. A one-off payment of £200 was made to recognise in some way at least how people are suffering in the midst of this global pandemic and to take some action to help those workers and families who the Minister has decided here today she is not going to help. That is a great shame.

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