Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the debate. This budget and the actions she has taken as Minister show a caring, competent and concerned Government and Minister at work. This budget has been particularly well received, such as the €12 increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments, the €2 increase in payments for children, increases for social welfare recipients and so on. I also welcome the once-off double payment for all weekly paid social welfare recipients, including the double payment of child benefit, which I understand was paid last week, the additional €400 for fuel allowance recipients, the additional €200 for recipients of the living alone allowance and the additional €500 in the working family payment and payments for carers and people with disabilities. This money is going a long way to help people face the serious crisis we are all in arising from the energy crisis.

They are all very good and laudable measures. Work still needs to be done, although not by the Minister, on the energy credits. I have continued to bring to the attention of others the question of people who are permanent residents of mobile homes and do not have individual electricity supplies. Their difficulty is that they cannot benefit from the €600 payment because they do not have an electricity meter. It is a serious issue and I have asked the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys, to push a solution through. We have solved issues for many groups, including Travellers and others. People in this situation find it difficult to make ends meet.

The cost of living is a major issue for everybody. We cannot expect social welfare to pick up the tab for the proposed increase in motor tolls, but people who use cars to get to work are very angry at this unacceptable increase. It is an increase in the cost of living for such people and will mean they will use roads that are not as efficient and pollute the environment. I understand the Tánaiste has spoken about this issue. We need to deal with it as a matter of urgency.

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