Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

We are all well aware of the really good weather we have been having over the past two weeks or thereabouts, although today is not the most spectacular day. It came to my attention recently that Bord Gáis, among other providers, is dealing with a much higher level of arrears this year than in previous years due to the fact that we have had an unprecedented series of bad winters. Indeed, this year's winter went on significantly longer than normal. This has left many of the poorest people in Ireland living in fuel poverty and dealing with serious arrears in essential services. In that context I congratulate the Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with responsibility for housing and planning, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, on her announcement of the first tranche of funding for an energy efficiency programme for local authority houses. Some local authority houses are among the worst constructed in the country. This is a very important measure to deal with the fuel poverty experienced by some of the poorest people in Irish society. I would like a debate early in our new session, in September, on the matter of the budget, to include further fiscal measures that can be taken to retrofit and improve the heat and fuel efficiency of the Irish housing stock generally. This issue is not going to go away. There have been unprecedented rises in fuel prices and there is no indication that these prices will come down at any time in the future.