Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

The budget the Minister's Government announces in two weeks' time must be about ending the rip-off, getting costs under control and supporting workers and families. Households struggle just to make ends meet, hammered by soaring prices at every turn. Yesterday, Kantar reported that grocery prices have shot up again in the last 12 weeks. Of course, people did not need a research report to tell them that; they feel it every time they go to the supermarket. Under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, living costs have become unaffordable and people cannot believe their ears when they hear the Government dig in and insist it will not take action to tackle the crisis. Last week, we were in here raising the fact that three energy companies had announced big electricity price hikes to kick in from early next month. Since then, a fourth company, SSE Airtricity, has announced that it, too, will increase its electricity prices from October. Hundreds of thousands of households will be forced to pay out even more for their electricity. Some 300,000 households, remember, are already unable to afford their electricity bills and these are working people who just cannot keep up. Yet, the Government waltzes in to withdraw energy credits when they will be so desperately needed. I suppose we should not be shocked by yet another out-of-touch decision.

The public expenditure Minister, the Minister's colleague, Deputy Jack Chambers, said at the weekend that the Government is conscious not to increase costs for people but this is the same Government that has chosen to hike up the prices of petrol and diesel, home-heating oil, rent and student fees. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, also stressed that he will, as he put it, have a "return to normal budgeting" but there is nothing normal at all about the way households are being fleeced. There is nothing normal about the severity of these electricity price hikes. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael allowed this energy rip-off to happen. At no point have they stood up to the big companies, which get away with gouging customers because, frankly, the Government is a soft touch when it comes to them. Not alone has the Government sat on its hands and done nothing but it has pushed back against our proposals to reform the energy market and get costs under control. The consequence of the Government's inaction is that households are left to wonder how much more they will have to pay out just to keep the lights on.

The Minister cannot wash his hands of his failure to tackle these runaway energy prices and then waltz in and cut the supports on which so many households depend. Níl daoine in ann glacadh leis na harduithe seo ar phraghas an leictreachais. Ní chóir don Rialtas an socar funnimh ar a bhfuil líon mór teaghlach ag brath a tharraingt siar. We have had Minister after Minister telling people that they understand the pressure that households are under. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Finance all say that they get it. They say that talk is cheap but Government talk and hot air is proving very expensive for workers and families. Lip service will not put manners on these companies, reduce energy bills or ease any of the pressure people are under. What we need is action. I invite the Minister today to tell households that he will protect them from these energy price hikes. I want him to tell them that there will be provision for energy credits in the forthcoming budget.

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