Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The ESRI energy poverty report brings home to us that not only are we facing a crisis, we are in the midst of an economic and social crisis in this country and we must use every tool in our economic arsenal. We feel we should have an emergency budget or an early budget. Failing that, we think there is scope for the Government to implement targeted measures similar to those that have been implemented in our fellow EU countries, including price caps on energy. We ask the Government to consider that. The Minister for Finance has the power to do that and would be following other EU countries that have done so.

There is also scope for increases to the fuel allowance and a doubling of energy bonus payments. Will the Government heed the advice of the ESRI and get to grips with the energy poverty people are facing by introducing a summer welfare bonus, expanded access to fuel allowance and price caps to protect people from the pressures they are feeling every day?

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