Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We all agree that households, families and businesses are suffering from the increase in energy costs. The Deputy mentioned the measures the Government has already approved and we all agree that this is greater than anything Sinn Féin has done in Northern Ireland. That is being seen in the reduction in excise on petrol and diesel; in the €200 being taken off people's electricity bills; and in the increase in the fuel allowance that people have received in recent weeks. Some €1 billion has been allocated to help families and ease the burden of the cost of high energy and that is what we have done to date. We need to be honest with people about this; all we can do is ease the burden. We will examine additional measures, in co-operation with the European Commission and the European Union, to help families and businesses a little bit more, and that is part of the discussions that will take place in Brussels later on this week.

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