Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have seen some horrific changes in this area in the past couple of months, in particular. The fears following the war or as a consequence of the weaponising of energy from the war of Ukraine, and the effect of that on families, communities and disadvantaged communities, in particular, is something that I would like to hear about from the MEPs in the course of this session together. I am mindful of organisations contacting me about the issue. Indeed, one organisation contacted me today to say that the cost of its gas contract is 2.4 cent per unit and it expires on 22 September. Two weeks ago it was offered a new contract at 17 cent per unit. Yesterday, the price had gone up to 22 cent per unit, and today it is 27 cent per unit. This is an organisation that works in the community that supports disadvantaged families, delivers drug programmes, and helps the youth and young people who particularly need support after school, in building and ensuring they have just access in society. In this context, when we talk about having to have an immediate response to this sudden urgency caused by the war in Ukraine, I completely applaud the need for us to change our reliance on fossil fuels and change how we consider and use energy, and everything around it. In this beautiful room, there are lots of people using mobile phones that are charged. Twenty years ago, they were not there. We need to consider everything about how we use energy, as well as how we receive energy. There are sectors of our society that are facing into an appalling winter. Telling them not to use fossil fuels and not to burn turf is not going to be of any assistance to them. They need assistance in the here and now. A plan that may take five to ten years to bring to fruition will not give them the answers they need.

I would welcome hearing how the MEPs are working to protect ordinary citizens and households, and voluntary sector organisations in particular. How does the situation affect the green deal, in light of these escalating energy prices? I would be interested in hearing about the MEP's work to protect lone-parent families, in particular, which are headed up, in the main, by women. How do we keep a just society that keeps that equality in care in light of the current situation?