Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Working families, pensioners and small rural family households are facing a cost-of-living challenge they have never faced before as inflation reaches record peaks that have not been seen here for the past 20 years. Rising prices of petrol and diesel have wiped away families' disposable income in an instant, condemning lower income households to a meagre existence. For months now, Sinn Féin has been warning the Government about how working families are being snowed under by financial strains. Rents, the cost of childcare and energy costs are skyrocketing and becoming the dearest in Europe. What does the Government do? It decides to increase carbon tax in May and ban the sale and commercial use of turf.

This Government is failing to see that rural Ireland operates on a completely different plateau than large urban areas and cities. The carbon tax, the Government argues, is supposed to encourage people to use alternatives but in reality, no alternatives are available. The Government is, as the saying goes, putting the cart before the horse. Let us take transport as an example. Does the Minister realise that public transport is non-existent in most rural communities, including my constituency in County Wexford where almost 75% of people live in rural settings? The closure of rural post offices, Garda stations, local shops, credit unions and rural banks is evidence enough that our country way of life is being undermined by these thoughtless policies that have not been rural-proofed. What do we say to families who are already struggling to make ends meet at the end of their working week? How can we tell them to use life-changing alternatives without a fair transition or supporting plan? On top of that, purchasing an electric vehicle is dearer than a monthly rent or mortgage repayment. It is way out of reach of most ordinary families, particularly in Wexford.

The climate crisis is real. The science is there. However, we must progress our climate protection measures on the principle of a just transition and transparent and rural-proofed supporting policies. We cannot leave low-income families, pensioners and vulnerable members of our communities behind. The motion before us makes a valid point about fuel allowance and fuel poverty. We in Sinn Féin have outlined several ways to tackle these issues. Take the latest turf ban fiasco. The Government should have identified those who are dependent on turf and at risk of fuel poverty and supported them in transition. This is the very definition of a just transition and just one option the Government has ignored.

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion and giving us an opportunity to speak on these important issues.

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