Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing this motion forward. It is a serious issue for people. They are driven down through the ground with the costs of electricity. The Minister was blaming the war but we know that gas is cheaper now than it was before the war started. That is a fact, but the Government will not bring down the cost of electricity. It will not cap the cost, thought it was asked to do so several times. There are different categories of people. Business people are paying three and four times what they were for electricity, people who were paying €70,000 and employing people, who are now paying €360,000. There are people who were paying €200 or €300 who are now paying €1,000 or €1,200. Old people are afraid to boil the kettle and barely light a fire. They light a small fire if they are lucky enough to have turf. The Government tried to stop us doing that. What is happening is so wrong. The Government did not make any attempt at capping the cost of electricity because it is getting more tax out of it, of course. Now that the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is going so well in the Green Party, he is looking for an advisor for an advisor. Can you imagine that? I suppose he was limited with the amount of advisors he got, so he decided to get an advisor for an advisor.

I can clearly see what is happening. The people in rural Ireland, people Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael got votes from, are disenchanted, very hurt and angry. The Greens are happy because they are getting everything they want and more. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael cave in to them just to keep themselves in power. Power must be something, to say that they are leaving them do what they are doing to the rural people, the good people who are trying to keep going, kept the country going back over the years and kept people employed. People were told to put in heat pumps. I know a young fella who built a new house a year and a half ago. His bills have now gone up to €1,250 a month for electricity because of the heat pump. It is nothing else, it is the heat pump. This is what the Government is telling people to put in and not to put a chimney in the house. God almighty, the Government had support in the countryside always and the people depended on it. They are gone from the Government now; it should realise that. The Greens will not suffer. They are doing fine. The Government must realise it is leaving people down and must act to do something about the cost of electricity. People can only go so far. You cannot get blood out of a turnip.

See this speech in context