Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I wish the outgoing Leader of the Labour Party, Deputy Kelly, well following his announcement last night that he has resigned his role. I extend my best regards to him and his family.

I welcome Ms Linda Ervine, who will be in the Seanad today to speak on Seachtain na Gaeilge. We extend her a fáilte mór from this House and acknowledge the great work she has done on the Irish language in east Belfast. Her work is well known throughout the Thirty-two Counties and beyond.

I wish to record once again our absolute condemnation of the actions relating to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to extend our solidarity to the Ukrainian people at this time. I welcome the unanimous agreement of the Dáil last night to pass a motion condemning Russia's actions and supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine. I welcome the significant and severe economic sanctions that have been put in place by the international community as part of the efforts to get Vladimir Putin to realise the futility of his actions. Those sanctions are working. One can see the impact they have had already on the Russian monetary system. I hope this unprecedented diplomatic response will open up the possibility of a resolution to the crisis. As with any conflict, I believe the way out of this is through politics and dialogue.

Undoubtedly, the severe sanctions are going to impact on ordinary citizens across Europe and further afield. The Taoiseach has acknowledged that this will be case. The price of oil and gas on international markets is on the rise once again. This follows the massive price rises that are already putting major pressure on households throughout the State and contributing to the massive increase in the cost of living. That is particularly the case in the west of Ireland in counties such as Mayo, where half of the homes use heating oil as their main home heating fuel and, because of the lack of public transport, people have no choice but to use and ever-increasing proportion of their low incomes to pay for petrol and diesel. One hospital appointment in Galway or Dublin can take up a full week's income for those already struggling to survive.

What is the EU plan to help alleviate the impact the economic sanctions will have on ordinary people? Have discussions in this regard already begun? What is on the table to help households here and across Europe to negate the worst impacts of energy price increases on workers and families? People want something to be done immediately. They need to feel it in their pockets and in their household incomes. They are already struggling. I acknowledge the measures that have been introduced, but some of them, even in higher education, will not kick in until September. The months between now and September are going to be long and arduous for many households throughout the State.

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