Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le gach Teachta Dála a labhair ar an ábhar seo. Is ábhar fíorthábhachtach é seo mar tá daoine amuigh ansin ag fulaingt le billí atá ag dul in airde. Tá daoine ag fáil billí €1,000, €1,300 agus €1,500. Tá go leor Teachtaí ar an taobh seo den Teach ag cur billí mar seo os comhair an Rialtais anocht, ach níl sé sásta éisteacht. Tá a fhios againn go raibh an Rialtas seo sásta tacú a thabhairt ach ba é an tacú a bhí sé ag tabhairt ná tacaíocht do na comhaltaí móra fuinnimh. Nuair a bhí an tAire, an Teachta Ryan, ag cur in éadan an athraithe a bhí de dhíth orainn ó thaobh na hEorpa de, bhí seisean ag seasamh ar thaobh na gcomhlachtaí móra fuinnimh. Nuair a bhí an Teachta Donohoe mar Aire Airgeadais, ní raibh sé ag iarraidh cáin a ghearradh ar na profits millteanacha a bhí na comhlachtaí seo ag déanamh. Ghlac sé cinneadh seasamh ar thaobh na gcomhlachtaí fuinnimh mhóra agus neamhaird a dhéanamh do dhaoine atá i gcruachás.

Déanann an moladh atá mo dhuine ag cur os comhair na Dála anocht ciall. Tá leath den Eoraip ag cur an mholta seo i bhfeidhm ag an bpointe seo. Táthar á dhéanamh ar fud na hEorpa, is é sin, sa Fhrainc, sa Pholainn, sa Ghearmáin agus san Ísiltír. Feicimid go bhfuil rialtais ag teacht isteach agus ag déanamh an rud ceannann céanna á dhéanamh acu agus atá Sinn Féin ag iarraidh ar an Rialtas seo a dhéanamh, is é sin, cinnteacht a thabhairt do dhaoine go mbeidh an praghas atá gearrtha ar leictreachas ag ísliú go dtí an leibhéal ina raibh sé, sula raibh an cogadh ann agus na praghsanna seo ag dul chomh hard sin. Is é sin an rud atá os comhair na Dála inniu.

The Minister and this Government are good at self-congratulations, but not one of its Members addressed the issue of the countless Deputies on this side of the House who gave example after example of bills, not in the hundreds of euros, but bills of more than €1,000, for families that are absolutely crippled as a result of energy costs.

Not one of the Ministers who spoke on the Government side of the House gave an explanation as to why the Minister, Deputy Ryan, refused the reform of the wholesale market, which would have driven down prices, and only did so, belatedly, when the European Commission forced it. No one on that side of the House explained why the then Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, opposed a windfall tax on the profits of those energy companies for months and months. He argued it at Oireachtas committees. He argued it during parliamentary questions. Only when the European Commission came in on this last year, belatedly, was the Government forced to make a U-turn. The reason those positions were adopted is the same reason the Government is refusing tonight to step in and support the families who are hard pressed with crippling electricity bills. It is because it has abandoned these people. The Government is on the side of the energy companies and has taken the wrong side on this debate.

There are solutions. The Government can and must act. Right across Europe, member states are doing exactly what Sinn Féin has called on the Government to do. They are coming in with a cap. They are giving their citizens certainty on the amount by which electricity will be cut. That is something that was allowed by the European Commission as far back as March 2022. In Germany, electricity and gas prices for households are capped at 40 cent and 12 cent per 1 kWh, respectively, for 80% of last year's consumption. This is going to last until the end of 2023. In the Netherlands, electricity and gas prices are capped for the duration of 2023. They are locking in a price of 40 cent per 1 kWh and freezing the price of gas. Similar price caps are being introduced in France, Poland, Luxemburg, Austria, Slovenia - I could go on. When the Government criticises Sinn Féin's proposal to help struggling families, it is criticising everything those other member states have done.

The Government puts out red herrings that these are blank cheques and all the rest of it. This has already been dealt with by these members states. For example, in the Netherlands, the Dutch Parliament adopted motions to prevent energy suppliers from profiting from the price caps. These motions proposed the monitoring of wholesale prices and energy tariffs. What this amounts to is that suppliers are only compensated for what is necessary to cover their costs and no more.

There is a simple decision before the House: stand on the side of hard-pressed families who are crippled with high energy costs or, once again, do what the Government has done before and abandon them to the mercy of these energy companies, the profits of which the Government refuses to tackle.

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