Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to speak on this Bill.

It struck me while reading this legislation that despite Ireland being ranked as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a relatively strong economy, this is in no way reflected on the ground in our cities, towns or rural communities. When I make my way to work in the morning, whether it be to Leinster House or my constituency office in Killybegs, I see no indications of living in a wealthy country or even a functioning one. A functioning country looks after its citizens. A functioning country does not leave its citizens cold, hungry or struggling to make ends meet. It does not leave them abandoned in tents and crumbling houses.

This Government has failed its citizens time and time again and one only has to step outside this Chamber to see it. Every local closure, every tent and every single one of the 3,071 homeless children, is a stark and daily reminder of the failures of this State. Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party have had an opportunity here to do something and I believe they failed yet again.

I see nothing of substance in this Bill. There is nothing but temporary scheme after temporary scheme, putting a plaster on a bullet wound. It does nothing to address the systemic change this country desperately needs but is temporarily covering up and facilitating the issues we are experiencing.

Section 88, for example, introduces the temporary business energy support scheme. On the surface, this scheme is welcome for small businesses that need urgent assistance with energy bills but unfortunately, this has come far too late. I have been contacted by a shop owner in my constituency of Donegal who has seen an incredible 118.8% increase in their energy bill, working out at an additional cost of €160,000 per year. When factoring in the increased costs in packaging and insurance, they were looking at a reduction of approximately €220,000 per year in their bottom line. This is completely unsustainable and without a doubt will force the closure of a number of local businesses in my town, throughout my constituency, and throughout the country.

The TBESS introduced in this Bill is too little too late. I put it to the Minister that it is not enough to help businesses in our rural communities get by this winter. It will however, go a long way to help big businesses and tech companies pay their bills, which will obviously be significantly higher. That data centres, which currently account for 14% of Ireland’s electricity usage, could be eligible for this scheme is outrageous. It is predicted that they will account for about 28% of Ireland’s electricity usage within the next ten years.

Temporary schemes, such as the TBESS and the help-to-buy scheme introduced and extended in this Bill, will only serve the system that is already failing the people of this country and will do nothing to address the energy crisis or the housing crisis that this Government is forcing its citizens to face alone. We need targeted supports that will directly assist the people who need it most. We need to start building more affordable homes and create incentives for landlords to prioritise long-term rentals by increasing taxation on short-term rentals such as Airbnb, and by giving them a quid pro quofor long-term rentals, perhaps by making them tax free of something like that.

With regard to mica, I do not see why we cannot tax the profits of the concrete industry rather than having the defective concrete blocks levy, which the Minister has now changed to 5%. This will do little to help with funding the mica redress scheme but will drive up exponentially the cost of building during a housing crisis. Where does the Government expect these families to live while their houses are being demolished and rebuilt? Unless the Government is planning to take over Airbnb, there is simply nowhere for these people to go in Donegal.

All in all, this Bill does nothing for most in this country. I am thinking particularly of student nurses, most of whom are just waiting for the day they get their nursing degree, leave this country and never come back. I was in contact today with a second-year student nurse from Donegal who is studying in Trinity. She can no longer afford to travel home to see her family due to high fuel costs and very high Dublin rent. She works extremely long days and has very little in the way of a life outside of her work. She is struggling with knee pain and says that most of her fellow student nurses struggle with back pain. I must stress that these are young people in their early 20s. She said:

If this was any other workplace, that would be enough to bring a problem of this extent to the eyes of our Government, which is supposedly looking out for the good of this country. I have yet to have a conversation with another student who isn't planning on leaving after college to work elsewhere. Nursing is a profession built off of caring for people, yet we students do not feel cared for. We feel hurt, and betrayed and we are exhausted. We do not deserve this, the nurses before us did not deserve this and the nurses coming after us do not deserve this. There needs to be a change in how student nurses are accommodated.

I reiterate the point that Ireland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and if we choose not to help the people who need it, it is a choice. It is not because we could not if we wanted to, it is a choice that we make every day.

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