Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the distinguished guests. Earlier this week I spoke to the head of the South Kerry Development Partnership about the work it does in the rural social schemes and Tús schemes in south Kerry. I refer here to care of the elderly, social farming, the rural men's officer, DJ Moran, whom it employs, the maintenance of sports fields and support for meals on wheels. It assists 200 projects in the area. However, the people working on that schemes only receive an extra €19 on top of their social welfare. That is supposed to help them with their travel expenses and fuel and its increased price. According to the latest CSO figures, the CPI rose by 9.2% from October last year to October this year. The price of water, gas and other fuels have risen by nearly 28% over the same period. More alarmingly, consumer prices rose by 1.6% between September and October of this year while water, electricity and gas rose by nearly 9% in that time. I do not need to tell the House what a 10% increase, month on month, over the course of the year will do to people. I have also heard from local businesses that have seen their bills increase by these amounts - sometimes tripling or even quadrupling - in that time. The equation for these small businesses is simple: get help or fold. A capping of electricity prices at previous levels is what they need.

We also need a massive investment in renewables because the latter are cheaper and more stable. We are currently far too exposed to energy shocks. Any transition must be fair, however. The regulations and laws have a part to play, but correcting economic inequality cannot be done at the stroke of a pen. That is why measures such as the prioritising of retrofitting for those at risk of energy poverty are so crucial. The Government needs to act. It needs to do more. It needs to cap electricity prices. What it has done so far is a mistake. It needs to act to help the people who work around the Ring of Kerry and the small businesses.

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