Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For too many families, everyday necessities such as putting fuel in the car, putting food on the table or paying bills for monthly expenses such as gas and electricity are becoming more and more unaffordable. Costs are growing all the time. People need relief. They need to see a government that is committed to addressing these cost-of-living challenges and they do not have that in this Government. This Government has been in situ since 2020. It seems unable to ease the cost of living for the ordinary worker and family. We have seen energy companies making excessive profits while workers and their families are left to struggle. A 2020 survey showed that Irish gas and electricity prices are the most expensive in the EU. The Government has a responsibility to protect citizens and, when it comes to the cost of living, it has failed to do so. It has not done nearly enough and this is evidenced by the fact that nearly 250,000 households have fallen into arrears with their electricity suppliers.

At the root of this issue is Government inaction or delayed action. When we in Sinn Féin called for a windfall tax similar to that levied in other EU countries, this Government refused. It has claimed it will introduce such a tax on electricity companies but it has not done so. Relief can be offered to consumers and relief should be offered to domestic users. As we have stated repeatedly, standing charges are not regulated and the CRU has no legislative remit in that regard. We introduced a Bill to address this that would have given the CRU the authority to approve any proposed increases in standing charges.

It is a fact that many people who have to spend a great deal on heating their homes, a challenge that is more pronounced for the less financially well off in our society, are those who have the coldest homes. Those in the coldest homes should have access to an affordable retrofitting scheme but the scheme this Government has provided has been described as a wealth transfer by Social Justice Ireland. A more well-off household can avail of €25,000 worth of grants for retrofitting but many with far greater retrofitting needs cannot access basic measures such as attic or wall insulation. In our policy document, A Fairer Retrofit Plan, we have committed to increasing the retrofit budget and to targeting those least well off, who most need remedial action in their homes.

This Government has failed to target the chaos in Ireland's energy markets. It has failed Irish householders, who pay €700 more than those in other EU countries for electricity. While once-off measures might make for good optics, they are a temporary and short-sighted way of taking action on this challenge. Decisive and permanent action is needed to ease the pressure on ordinary families. We have a five-point plan to take back control and to bring relief to families while this Government has its eyes on the corporate balance sheet and not on the needs of ordinary citizens.

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