Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the Deputy in that the proposals coming from European Union are just one element. They are among the four pieces in the jigsaw of measures that we will need to implement, as I mentioned earlier. We will not have the full details on them by budget day. We will have a rough estimate of what implications it might have for Revenue but it is only one element of the response we must take.

What we need to do is to continue with last year's process, which included a combination of social welfare measures targeted at the most poor and those who are most vulnerable to higher energy prices. There must be continued use of energy credits, such is the high cost of energy that is hitting and affecting every house in the country. It is appropriate to have timely, quick, easy to deliver and low-cost solutions such as the energy credits that we presented, as well as supports for businesses that will now be at real risk because of the tenfold increase in prices.

It is an evolving situation. We are right to do through to early spring so that we can reassess the prices then. Even in the past three weeks, the international price of gas has fluctuated massively. These interim measures will give us the chance to get through the winter, with a review in the spring as to where we are then.

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