Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. There is a lot of useful information in that and that I had not received to date, so I am grateful for it and it is helpful. I understand that in a normal situation things take time and go through processes, and before the current crisis this would have made sense. The issue I have is that the current crisis around how commercial gas rates have increased and with prices being at a much higher rate than residential gas rates has left people in district heating systems in a particularly vulnerable situation that is intolerable. There needs to be an emergency response on this from Government to protect these residents. That is what I am asking for. I appreciate the longer process and that would have made sense before the events of this year, but for people who cannot shower, who are living in some very dire situations, and we are talking in particular about how this is affecting many people on low incomes, in social housing, and with serious illnesses. This is an intolerable situation that needs an urgent response now. That is what I am asking for.

Second, the Minister of State's reply mentions the measures the Government has brought in in terms of the electricity credits and so forth. The reply I received from the Taoiseach last week seemed to indicate some people in district heating systems would not have been benefiting from these measures. Is there clarity on and certainty that people in district heating systems are benefiting from those measures?

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