Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Struggling workers and their families have had enough of token gestures. They have been insulted by an offer of a trip to Leinster House and there have been mixed messages about the pandemic bonus payment. The Government must ensure family carers, workers in organisations funded under sections 38 and 39 and workers in homeless services funded under section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 are included.

Sinn Féin will support the Bill, although it has tabled amendments. Much more needs to be done to address energy price hikes and the crippling cost of living. The Government's budget package did not go far enough. There are families in extreme poverty and they are being failed by the Government. It would be worse only for the assistance of charities such as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Sinn Féin has tabled a number of amendments for consideration on Committee Stage next week. We are concerned that the Bill is drafted in such a way as to permit only a single one-off payment. We have tabled amendments to change this and to give the Minister power to make further payments to households, removing the need for more rushed emergency legislation in the future and ensuring it can be delivered to desperate families as quickly as possible.

Another weakness in the Bill is the universal aspect of this payment, which will see people who do not need financial help receive it while others who need more financial help will not get anything extra. Payments such as this should be targeted. One of our amendments would include a provision for those who do not need the payment to have the option of surrendering it to a charity that supports and helps those living in energy poverty.

We believe the owners of holiday homes should not benefit from this legislation. We must ensure the payment goes to renters rather than the landlord, in whose name the account may be. There must be a dispute resolution mechanism to resolve any disputes between renters and their landlords or property management companies over the electricity costs emergency benefit payment.

Sinn Féin also calls for a report on the scheduled carbon tax increase in May. Now is the time to scrap it. The Minister must engage with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on the levels of need for assistance with heating and electricity costs that are currently being experienced to ascertain the need for a discretionary fund to assist those in utility debt. The Government must establish an expert advisory group on energy poverty to design an appropriate way to measure and track energy poverty levels in Ireland. The cost of living has reached an unbearable level for many people, and the €100 credit for energy bills is coming very late.

Finally, it must be said that there have been many announcements with regard to the microgeneration support scheme. It will benefit those lucky enough to have renewable energy technology, but it has been announced so many times that it feels like Groundhog Day. Ironically, that was yesterday. It is time to stop pussy-footing around. The Minister of State is supposed to be a Green Party Minister of State and it is time he acted like one.

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