Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I support the motion. In the electricity sector, new companies came in such as Iberdrola. Up to last February, companies signed up with Iberdrola. All of a sudden, it decided it was leaving the market. Those who enter into a contract are supposed to honour it. Any person who enters into a building contract or whatever can be sued if they do not honour it. These seem to be able to walk about. In the first quarter of this year, that company made €1 billion profit. Where is the Government holding companies to account that are doing this? Where is the EU legislation? They hit the small person constantly, but when it comes to a big conglomerate, they let it off scot free. How can they walk away with that?

For contractors in the farming community, €1.50 is the price of green diesel today. Those who have the Luas, the DART and all the different public transport modes might not understand that people in rural Ireland have to drive to work. They have to bring their kids to school. When I was going to school there was a bus, but it is backwards we are gone now. If a child is not within a certain mileage of the school, it is a case of "tell Mammy or tell Daddy to bring them in the car" or around Dublin in the SUV. There is no joined-up thinking in how we solve things. We are looking at EirGrid at the moment and talking about new generators. What have we done? We have closed some of the stuff.

I could not believe what I read yesterday about the Minister, Deputy Ryan saying someone should go to the social welfare office. Someone who is on €25,000, €30,000 or €35,000 will go out the door of the social welfare office as quick as they came in. It shows the disconnect that Ministers have that they do not understand that people have to be under a certain threshold before social welfare will even talk to them. They will not even look at them. Why do we not bring in something for the people who are really hurting at the moment, those who have to drive to work and bring their children to school? I know it is holiday time now but it is only a few months until they go again. There are people who are reliant on heating their homes.

There is this thing about retrofitting but with the best will in the world, as the Minister should know, the facts are that even around Dublin schemes are being stopped because building costs are going out of control and getting labour is a major problem. Six companies are in this new retrofit scheme so far. Six companies will not do the number of houses required. We are probably looking at a 30-year period to do the houses we are talking about. The Government needs to show stability and basically help people. People out there are hurting seriously at the moment between the electricity going up and fuel costs going up. There does not seem to be a plan. I read that in Malta yesterday white diesel was €1.41. I saw coming up here this morning that it costs between €2.03 and €2.15 while some places are at €2.20.

Something needs to be done. Decisions have been made by the Taoiseach and supported by most of the House but sometimes when we make decisions that hurt us, such as that on the oil from Russia, we seem to run off and agree with everything in Europe while other countries are going to have it piped all the time. They are not going to suffer like we are. Sanctions should always hurt the oppressor, not the innocent people.

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