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

I thank my colleague Deputy Whitmore for bringing forward this motion. I want to respond to the Minister's comments. There were two things lacking in his comments and responses. As Deputy Gannon foretold, the Minister gave us a list of the different measures the Government is taking but what we did not get was a timeline for the implementation of a windfall tax. We have no timeline on that at all. I ask that in his concluding remarks the Minister gives us an actual timeline as to when a windfall tax is going to be brought in; it is long overdue. Second, there was no substantial response to our proposal for targeted price cap measures along the lines of what has been introduced in Germany. We need to hear from the Government if it is going to take that proposal; if not, why not; and what its position on that is.

The point just made by my colleague Deputy Catherine Murphy about the Energy Charter Treaty is very well made. It is disappointing that the Government's position on this has been so weak. Let us be clear about the treaty and what it entails. It means that the Irish Government, the Irish State and the Irish people can be sued by an energy company that is reliant on fossil fuel not only for money they have invested to date, in terms of fossil fuel infrastructure, but on the basis of future unearned profits. This is colossal. There needs to be a real position of leadership from the Government on this. It is not enough for the Government to fall behind on this matter and say it is under review and under consideration. There is a 20-year lead-in to get out of the obligations under that charter. Given where we are with climate change and fossil fuels, we needed to be out of that energy charter years ago. At the very least, we need the Government to lead on this now. It is not compatible in any way with our Paris Agreement climate change objectives. We need to show leadership on this and indeed, on any other international treaties, the likes of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, which allows for investor courts and for the Government to be sued by energy and fossil fuel companies for future unearned profits. We need to ensure we do not get into any further commitments on that. We see the huge profits of some of these multinational companies, such as ExxonMobil, which made a profit of €51.5 billion last year. As my colleague Deputy Gannon has said, €5.8 million was being made every hour last year. We should not be signed up to any of these treaties that give these companies any leeway at all.

I raise one specific point with the Minister in terms of district heating systems. As I know both Ministers will agree, we should be encouraging the use of these systems. They can be sustainable. What has happened to people living in housing reliant on district heating systems during this energy crisis has been an absolute disaster.

They face the sharp end as systems have been reliant on gas and they have been charged commercial rates of gas, which has led to a situation whereby social housing tenants, in particular, including those on prepaid meters, have been put in a particularly difficult position.

In one area of my constituency, 20% of social housing tenants have been cut off from prepay meters and have no access to hot water or heat through their district heating systems. They do not have alternatives. I have raised this matter with the Government on multiple occasions and it has not been addressed. This is leading to inhumane conditions for people, in particular those on lower incomes, some of whom have long-term illnesses.

This has led to a situation whereby people who are renting in social housing cannot take a hot shower because they are cut off from water. They are now washing in basins. I do not need to remind the Minister and Minister of State that it is 100 years since we started installing baths in social housing in the city so that people would have access to that basic facility in their homes and would no longer have to wash in basins. Due to the fact that the Government has failed to act on the issues affecting energy prices, in particular people in district heating systems, there are now substantial numbers of people back to washing out of basins.

The Government will not act on that. It is not doing anything about it. Its response is to say the matter is under review and it will do something about it in the future. It is being looked at, but we need emergency measures now to restore people's access to the basic humane conditions that the rest of us take for granted. I urge the Minister and Minister of State to act on our motion, respond to the points we have made and act for the particular group of vulnerable social housing tenants who have been totally left out in the cold and ignored by the Government.

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