Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion, especially given that electricity prices in Ireland are two thirds above the EU average. The rising cost of living has had a detrimental effect on households, families and workers, leaving so many having to choose between heating and food. The households most at risk are those that are most in need. The ESRI compared recent data with data collected in 2015 and 2016. This comparison shows that the number of households at risk of energy poverty has risen significantly from 13.2% to 29.4% in 2022. The Feminist Climate Justice Report found that those most impacted by energy poverty are single mothers renting private accommodation in Ireland. They are also disproportionately affected by substandard housing quality, including problems with dampness, leaks and rot, but current policy fails to take into account the gendered and intersectional aspects of energy poverty. Households where there are people with disabilities, with people over 65, those living alone, and people in the low- to middle-income bracket are all vulnerable to energy poverty.

Given the negative health implications for those living in substandard quality housing, it is in the State's best interest to address this issue. It is important to note that energy poverty is measured on the basis of whether a household is spending more than 10% of its income on energy. The Feminist Climate Justice Report, in association with the National Women's Council of Ireland, points out that the current metrics for calculating energy poverty are inaccurate and inadequate but, even so, the current figures are deplorable. The Government's energy poverty action plan has itself acknowledged the point and it claims "a more comprehensive methodology for measuring energy poverty in Ireland needs to be developed". If that is a priority for the Government then it has been a convenient failure that we have not even measured it properly.

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