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

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion, not least because I come from north Mayo, an area of the country with one of the highest rates of fuel poverty. The fact is the Government is not doing enough. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald questioned An Tánaiste today but again got no response from him. That is no good to people who are struggling and juggling to pay their bills and infuriates them because they are bearing the burden of all of this. Energy costs permeate through all economic transactions and bear down heavily on the shoulders of ordinary workers and families. That is a fact.

The Government must listen. It needs to know with what people are struggling. It needs to listen to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the people who are missing hospital appointments because they cannot afford to put fuel in their cars. We told the Government that it could go further in terms of diesel, petrol and home heating oil. The Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, knows it can go further than this. Last week's argument over excise duty on home heating oil was bizarre. Revenue came out and clearly stated there was excise duty on energy. That the Government is applying carbon tax on home heating oil not only tells people they have to suck it up, but that the Government is going to put a further tax on that carbon tax.

We welcome retrofitting, but the Government presents it as being the solution. In my area, there is a two-year waiting list for the warmer home scheme. It is not dealing with the crisis right now where people cannot afford to live. They can barely afford to survive. All of us, including the Government, must do everything possible to alleviate the burden on ordinary workers and families.

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