Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and the opportunity to speak on it.The Minister is very welcome to the Seanad.

I want to echo the comments and sentiments expressed by other Senators in terms of having a preference for more targeted measures. I accept the limitations of our ability to do that within a short period of time. It is important that measures are rolled out quickly to show the understanding of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on people. People are really struggling and the cost of living crisis has crept up on us. This time last year, or even six or three months ago, it was all about the pandemic and Covid, and how we could deal with that. Prior to that, it was all about Brexit. Now the real crisis we all have to deal with on a daily basis is the cost of living which is impacting on everybody in communities and society.

We know the current average domestic customer bill is approximately €1,715, comprising €976 for electricity and €739 for heating. Several reports estimate an overall increase of another €500, a rise of approximately 29%. That is colossal. We need to make sure that we are doing everything we can to alleviate the pressure on household incomes, and such measures are welcome. The €200 electricity credit will make a difference. I ask those who feel they do not need it ensure they give it to a local St. Vincent de Paul service or other such organisations that help those who could do with more than €200.

The lump sum payment of €125 in the fuel allowance will be paid in early March to 390,000 recipients. There is no doubt that will make a difference, but we need to widen the eligibility threshold for the fuel allowance. I ask the Minister to consider that as a matter of urgency. These measures will not cover the impact of the increased cost of fuel and electricity, but they will make a difference. To say they will make no difference is simply untrue.

We also need to be clear that the increases we are all seeing in fuel and electricity costs are based on international factors. Certain political groupings which are trying to paint the imposition of carbon taxes as the root cause of our issues are being completely disingenuous. They are damaging our collective efforts to encourage people to shoulder the responsibility of reducing carbon emissions.

I want to acknowledge that the Government has been to the fore in tackling climate change and there is no doubt that we have seen a distinct focus on climate mitigation measures. The recent retrofitting announcement is important in this regard and is something that we need to replicate. New grant levels have been announced. They will cover up to half of the cost of a deep retrofit and up to 80% of the cost of doing simpler work, which is important. Such work could knock about 20% off the cost of annual heating bills.

I have two pleas for the Minister. One is regarding the loans that will be made available for those who need to draw them down. I ask that the Minister consider the possibility of rolling out those loans through the post office network. Practically every rural community has a post office. We have a dedicated group of people who are very committed to their communities. It would be a good way of rolling out loans. I also ask the Minister to make sure that the red tape and bureaucracy around the administration of the loans be minimised because that is one complaint about the current SEAI scheme.

I want to mention the 20% reduction in fares on public transport, which is very welcome. I would like to once again advocate for a medium hop zone for the south Kildare area. As we know, people are travelling from Portarlington, Kildare and Newbridge to Sallins because it is within a short hop zone. They are staying on the roads and driving due to the difference in fare price, when they could access trains in their towns. The price in Sallins is one third of the price of the journey from Newbridge, which is 6 km away. That has to be examined. Some cannot access public transport because there is simply no public transport for them in rural Ireland. I speak for rural Kildare. We need to have a bigger investment in our local link service which would be able to bring people to hop zones.

Overall, this is a positive Bill which goes some way towards tackling the spike in prices. We need to keep the pressure up to ensure that additional supports are put in place.