Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have had a turbulent two years. Unprecedented times are simply precedented now, or daily life. We have gone from the global emergency of a pandemic to the global impacts of war on European soil. We have gone from record savings just a few months ago to rates of inflation that I have never seen in my lifetime. The impact of that on family budgets cannot be underestimated. It can be seen in electricity bills, shopping receipts and at the petrol pumps. I commend the Minister on taking the unprecedented action of cutting excise duty by a third to lessen the impact at the petrol pumps and to lessen the impact on our purses and pockets. Is it enough? No, but it is necessary and welcome. Combined with the measures already announced, such as the €200 off electricity bills, the decrease in public transport costs and the extension of the fuel allowance scheme, these are measures that will help families throughout the country through this latest crisis we are experiencing.

Specific industries that rely on fuel, such as hauliers and taxi drivers, are particularly badly hit. I encourage the Minister and his Department to be innovative when it comes to looking at ways to support them. The tax measures announced today are as far as we can legally go under EU energy laws, so we have to be more creative with regard to ways to support companies through this crisis. The Minister's Department led the way in supporting companies through Covid-19 because the Minister wanted to protect livelihoods, just as he does now. I thank him for that. However I, like many others, was very disappointed to see prices at some, not all, forecourts rising throughout the day today. It is indicative of why there is such distrust from consumers. Many filling stations acted immorally, in my view, by hiking up their prices in an effort to evaporate tonight's measure from the pockets and purses of ordinary consumers. They did a disservice to their consumers, the people they rely on to make their living. It is not all of them, but some, and we are all aware of who they are. I ask the Minister to consider how the Government can tackle any perceived price gouging that may be taking place.

As the war in Ukraine continues, it is becoming increasingly clear that its impact will be felt around the globe for a long time. While it is not possible to shield our economy completely from global impacts such as this, I ask the Minister to continue to do all he can to protect our economy, our family budgets and our livelihoods.

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