Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. At the same time, I would like to point out that last October when the price increase in fuel crisis was here, I asked Sinn Féin to help me and the Rural Independent Group to highlight the energy costs and fuel costs. It took Sinn Féin until March to finally realise that there was a crisis, although I could see it last October. I stood here last October and I was heckled by the Minister for Finance. I spoke to the Minister about the toolbox that Europe gave to him to use. He told me here in the House at all I was doing was complaining. Now the entire Opposition is complaining. What I was saying to the Minister last October was common sense and truth.

All of the expensive Department that the Minister has behind him could not see what an Independent Member sees. Why does an Independent stand out so much in this Dáil? It is because we are on the ground with the people of Ireland. We understand business. We understand farming. We understand people. We understand poverty. The Minister does not understand. He was given a toolbox by Europe to use. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, show that the cost of energy is up by 31.9%, animal feed is up by 18.2%, seed is up by 11.6% and fertiliser is up by a whopping 127%.

Ireland was directed by the EU to use a toolbox of measures in October 2021 to work with householders and companies and apply tax reductions. None of this happened. The EU energy taxation directive allows member states either to exempt households or to apply reduced rates for electricity, natural gas, coal and solid fuel. This was not done even though the Government had been given a toolbox by the EU to do it. It stated member states could give effect to these exemptions or reductions in the level of taxation directly. This was not done either.

Household electricity costs increased by 70% during 2021. Bord Gáis last week predicted a hike of 27%. In real terms, this means a home's electricity costs will increase by €1,300 per annum. The ESB has announced operating profits of €679 million for 2021. This country has no alternatives but to burn petrol and diesel to put food on the tables. People are now coming in from Ukraine and we will hardly have enough food to feed ourselves. The Irish people wear their hearts on their sleeve and they will give their last bit of food to other people to help them, but the Government taxes us out of existence. That is all it does because it lacks an understanding of real life in its bubble in Dublin.

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