Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

On 6 October last year, just one week before the budget, People Before Profit brought the first motion into this Dáil calling for price controls on energy and the renationalisation of the energy supply sector to run it on a not-for-profit basis, to protect people against a cost of living crisis that was only in its infancy at that point. At that stage it was being warned that people may be facing increases of about €500 per year in energy costs. Needless to say, the Government completely dismissed and voted against the proposals for price controls and the renationalisation of the energy sector. Ordinary families, working people, pensioners, people with disabilities and those on low and middle incomes have suffered the bitter fruits of the Government’s failure to support those measures one year ago. Since then, the crisis has got very much worse. We are not looking at €500 per year increases but at energy costs doubling and trebling. Some estimates suggest they will go from an average of €2,000 per year to €6,000 per year.

People are being crucified. These hikes are simply not affordable for huge numbers of people and on Saturday, 24 September at 2.30 p.m. in Parnell Square, I expect there to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of angry and frightened workers, pensioners, students, people with disabilities and ordinary people appealing to the Government once again to take decisive measures to protect them against a cost-of-living crisis that is crucifying them and against an ongoing housing crisis.

It is very simple. Heating your home is not an optional extra. Having a shower and hot water are not optional extras. Having an affordable roof over your head is not an optional extra. Having the money to pay bills and put food on the table for your family are not optional extras but necessities. The Government has to guarantee that those needs of ordinary people, families and vulnerable people are met this year.

The people will march for energy price controls and controls on the price of food. They will call for controls on rent, to make housing affordable and to keep incomes, whether pensions or wages, in line with inflation costs. It is long past time that we took the companies profiteering from this cost-of-living crisis back into public ownership. Nationalise the energy sector and run it on a not-for-profit basis because heating, hot water and electricity are needs and not optional extras.

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