Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)

Tá sé scannalach go bhfuair an Rialtas anailís óna chuid oifigigh féin a léirigh go raibh sochair fuinnimh ag teastáil go géar ach mar sin féin chuir sé deireadh leis sa bhudget. Bhí an chomhairle seo ina lámha. Bhí a fhios ag an Rialtas go raibh billí leictreachais ag dul suas agus suas ach chuir sé deireadh go fóill leis an t-aon phíosa chuidithe a bhí daoine ag brath air. We said the Government's decision to cancel energy credits was a terrible call and that the removal of this vital support would leave working households under huge pressure and leave them struggling to pay their electricity bills in the face of relentless price hikes this winter. This morning, it was revealed that the Government pushed forward with the withdrawal of energy credits despite stark advice from its own officials. Documents obtained through freedom of information by Lynn Boylan MEP revealed three damning findings from the internal analysis conducted by the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment ahead of the budget. First, the case for energy credits was stronger this year than last year. The Government knew that annual bills were set to be higher in October 2025 than they were in October 2024. Second, households would have to find an extra €321 to cover their energy bills this winter in the absence of energy credits and, third, an energy scheme for struggling households was shelved and not included in the budget.

It is clear from this analysis that energy credits were badly needed this year. The Government had this advice to hand. It knew energy bills were going up and up and yet it still cancelled the one bit of help that people really relied on to pay off these rip-off bills. This is scandalous and people are bearing the brunt of this. It is clear by the day that the Government ditched energy credits because the election is over and it feels it can break its promises without any consequences.

Working households are paying a heavy price for the Government's cynical choice. It is much colder now. People are finding it harder to light and heat their homes and more than 500,000 households cannot pay their energy bills. The Government's decision to cancel energy credits means that even more families are going to be pushed over that line. The truth is that working people were not a priority in the budget. It was a budget of €9.4 billion that left them worse off and did not even include a cost-of-living package. The CSO just reported on Monday that prices continue to rise and are rising faster now than in the past two years. People are under huge pressure in the lead-up to Christmas. They are watching every single euro and they are forced to make really tough choices.

I spoke to a mother on Monday. She and her husband are working. She talking to me about her three kids. They sat down to write their Christmas list last week. Even though they were not asking for much, she had to convince each and every one of them to drop something off the list. She had to sit them down and explain to those children that even Santa is feeling the cost-of-living crisis this year. Does the Taoiseach in any way understand the pressure that ordinary families the length and breadth of this State are under this Christmas? People see no end in sight. They see a Government that is closed off to their hardship. It cannot go on. The Government needs to act to end the rip-off, to get costs under control and to make life affordable. Its inaction does not cut it and its bluff and spin has run out of road.

This morning the question I, and I am sure many families, are asking is: why the Government cancelled energy credits despite the analysis from its own officials which showed how badly they were needed this year? Will it finally see sense and reinstate those credits to help people through these winter months?

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