Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is about choices; it is as simple as that. When this country hit a financial crisis, the Government parties bailed out the banks and did not give a damn about the cost. This winter, the Government could choose whether to bail out ordinary working families and pensioners - the people who are trying to get through the winter. The choice was with the Government, and it decided not to support ordinary people. The fundamental difference between this Government and Sinn Féin is that we do what we say. We support ordinary families and ordinary people. Two weeks ago, the Taoiseach came in here and gave a commitment to people. He is the Taoiseach of this country and he gave a commitment in the Dáil that nobody would be disconnected and pre-pay customers would be looked after.

The Taoiseach gave that commitment. Will the Minister double down and now confirm that commitment is there? Almost 400,000 families and homes are affected and they want clarity. They want to know that the Government is there to support them. Some Government Ministers and backbench Deputies commented that they cannot write a blank cheque. They could write a blank cheque when it suited them, when they had a choice.

There is no blank cheque here. What we have is a costed proposal that will support ordinary people and the people who need it the most. This Government is relying on charities to do the work that it should be doing. The people on pay-as-you-go meters are paying some of the highest tariffs and pre-pay customers have a charge of €100. Where is the equality and the support for ordinary families? The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is the Minister in charge. He needs to show leadership and stand up now. We are asking him to do that.

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