Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)

Before I speak to this subject, I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle and the staff of Leinster House for the event yesterday. We have all seen the analysis of our distinguished guests, as has been well covered in the media, but it is important to pay tribute to the ushers, the administrative office and the office of the Ceann Comhairle. It was a special and historic day and it passed off quite well.

I am glad for the opportunity to speak on this debate. The debate takes on a whole new context in light of the front pages of today's newspapers where it is reported that there will be no energy credits this winter. Many people have emailed and phoned me throughout the day. Indeed, a few people called into my office but I am here in Dublin today. They had factored energy credits into their household budgets for the winter of 2025 and the spring of 2026 so that the shock of the bill landing in the post every eight weeks or so would not be as stinging as it was in previous years. I appreciate that energy prices peaked in 2022, largely due to the war in Ukraine, and there was a shortage of some supplies coming across continental Europe. We were trying to transition away from fossil fuels. As others have said in respect of our pathway to renewables, we are getting there but there is a long way to go. I appreciate that the peak season was in the winter of 2022, but three years on, we have gone from a period of relative stability to the energy companies raising prices again. It is the worst time for that support to be pulled.

I mentioned our distinguished guest, President Zelenskyy. It is right that Ireland shows solidarity and support, but I am being asked in emails how we can be giving €125 million to Ukraine and not be giving supports to our own people for the energy costs they will meet this winter. I have often seen people make unfair comparisons over the years and perhaps I can now be accused of doing that, but we must be cognisant that people had credits factored into their household budgets.

In winter 2022, the Government brought in a windfall tax where excessive profits were being made by energy companies and the Government was able to take some of those profits back as a deterrent to raising prices further. Something like that must be considered again.

I welcome the €3.5 billion plan to upgrade the national grid, but in the part of the country I am in, sections of power lines have only recently been fixed after Storm Éowyn. Huge work was undertaken by the ESB. It is a cause of hurt that the power was out for so long and it took so long for it to come back. People find it hard this year to see the rising costs on their bills.

During the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed, the previous Government was very agile. That was a term used often in the House. We were able to respond to the needs of households, families and businesses. I hope that this can stay under active review and that as we go through these tough winter months, this will be considered.

As all TDs do, I often make house calls in my constituency. You sometimes go into very cold houses. Sadly, they are usually the houses of older people. They do not want the heating on. They are trying to siphon off a few bob each week to leave something as a legacy to their children. That is very sad. I often visit households and tell the homeowners to, for God's sake, switch on the heating or throw a briquette on the fire to keep themselves warm. Those worries will be for another day, but on dark, cold nights such as this, everyone needs a warm house.

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