Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion and I welcome the opportunity to speak on it, especially coming as it does on the back of Sinn Féin's motion on retrofitting last night. I fully agree that Ireland, as a direct consequence of poor Government policies, is the worst prepared country in Europe for an energy crisis. We are now one of the most energy import dependent countries in Europe. Despite the commitment in the programme for Government more than two years ago, we are still waiting for the promised energy security review to be published. "Fail to plan, plan to fail" is an adage that comes to mind in this regard.

The home retrofitting programme announced in February will take at least eight years to deliver its promise to retrofit 500,000 homes. I say "at least" eight years but if the shaky start does not improve soon, it will go beyond ten years. This is not acceptable. Our older people, in particular, need to be prioritised. We need a new energy poverty strategy and more funding to be ring-fenced for energy upgrades. The Government thinks that if it keeps raising carbon taxes, behaviours will change. Our older people are on fixed incomes, as the Government well knows. They cannot afford to change their heating systems. Of our total energy supply, 87% still comes from fossil fuels. We need climate action but there must be a just transition. Of those over 60 years old, 45% live in properties with a building energy rating, BER, of E, F or G. This rises to 57% for people aged 75 or older. Based on this, practically all homes with BER ratings of E, F and G are likely to be occupied by people aged 60 or older, meaning older people are especially at risk from energy price hikes.

The Government must act immediately to implement windfall tax levies on all energy producers. It must also ensure that the price of electricity is decoupled from gas to ease the burden on households and businesses.

There must be a ban on disconnections during the fuel allowance season. Two years ago, Sinn Féin introduced a Bill to ban disconnections during the fuel allowance period every year. We recognised that households who are struggling financially need support during this time, not the threat of having their light or heat cut off over the winter. Disconnections are a real issue for many people. For example, in 2019, there were more than 5,000 domestic electricity disconnections and almost 2,500 domestic gas disconnections. A ban on disconnections will give households breathing space to arrange a payment plan with their supplier. A few minutes ago, the Minister mentioned the war in Ukraine. We did not have a war in Ukraine in 2019.

It is clear from the actions of the Government that it is still indifferent to the plight of the working poor, struggling small businesses and our older people. We need an election so that a Sinn Féin-led Government can implement much more caring policies and act to relieve the huge pressure our people are under.

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