Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also raise the issue of energy. We know the emergency meeting of EU energy ministers last week in Brussels was to discuss a cap or some way to control energy prices across Europe. That is welcome and needs to happen. It is accepted the challenges may be long term in nature. The Taoiseach referred to that today and we all know that. Much of this comes from the brutal war being inflicted on the people of Ukraine and its outcome across Europe.

We all understand that but the most vulnerable people are being hardest hit, particularly in this country. Many families and businesses are under huge pressure. I have been contacted by many retail businesses, including Centra and SuperValu shops, in my constituency and across the country.

The owners run their fridges and try to run their businesses but their costs are going through the roof. Gourmet Parlour, a bakery in Sligo town, was on to me a couple of months ago about the significant increase in the cost of the energy it needs to produce its products. It obviously has ovens and so on along with fridges to store raw materials. All of this has put great pressure on small businesses. As we know, in many parts of the country where there is no foreign direct investment, we rely on small businesses to keep our economy going. Those small businesses are under real pressure and a significant input from the Government is required to put a cap on their energy costs.

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