Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein)

During the past few weeks, we have seen the main electricity companies announce more price hikes. These same companies have had record profits during the past few years. We are now facing into a very long and cold winter. I have constituents who are already behind in their bills. These are people who never had an issue in paying their bills before. Now, they are looking at another hike in electricity costs on the bill they are already struggling to pay. My colleagues have already said this but I will say it again: we have the highest energy costs across Europe. How much more does the Minister of State expect our people to take? The Government needs to wake up. People are struggling and have been for a long time.

It is fine for the Government to come in here and talk about previous supports but the people want to know what it is going to do in the here and now. A lot of people across Dublin Bay North are already struggling. They are struggling to buy their groceries, to pay their already rip-off rents and to get their kids to college, and that is without landing these energy hikes on top of them. I want people to realise that this is a political choice by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry group. How many times has Sinn Féin come in to this House and given the Minister of State a roadmap out of this crisis? Yet again, here we are, giving him another plan to support the people who will need it. What will he do? He will probably do nothing. He will probably continue to allow people to struggle and be crippled by debt just to keep their children warm this winter. Let me lay it out clearly for him. Give people the energy credits. They are crying out for them. Give them that €450 credit to help them keep the lights and the heat on this winter.

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