Darragh O'Brien
Dublin Fingal East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The appropriate next time to do that is once the ANCA decision is finalised and the public consultation is concluded, which will be on 3 September. Obviously, there will be a period required after that when the submissions to ANCA will be looked at. That is where the consultation is. That will happen over the coming months.”
“I have already mentioned the more than 3 million passengers who flew through Cork Airport and the growth of Shannon Airport, which has just had its best half a year and which now has over 40 routes. However, a small number of people are impacted and they need to be listened to.”
“Others did not want it at all. I think Shane Ross was Minister for transport at the time. That has been done. That is in place. This decision will be made. I do not have a timeframe. Hopefully it will be soon after the submissions from the public on the draft noise decision is made. That would feed into both.”
“An Investec report published in, I believe, 2022 said that to maintain the cap at 32 million between now and 2030 would jeopardise up to about 19,000 jobs. That is the reality of it. I support the workers in the airport. I am from the community myself. The airport has to grow in a sustainable way.”
“I have also made it clear that even though, and this is a fact, international aviation emissions are outside the scope of the climate action plan, we are taking actions aligned with the global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, which is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization's basket of measures to ensur…”
“I have already highlighted the planning decision on the DAA’s infrastructure application. We discussed that at some length over the course of the last nearly two hours. That application seeks to raise the passenger cap to 40 million and provide for much-needed additional infrastructure at Dublin Airport.”
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“Notwithstanding all the really good work across government on the publication of the plan, it is fair to say, as is acknowledged by the environment pillar as well, that what is really important is how many people actually know what is in the plan itself. I want to bring that down to a grassroots level. That is the level of work that we are doing. We are not looking to delay it at all. I intend to bring options on climate priorities to the Government in the coming weeks and that will flow into CAP 26. That is the timeframe. We are talking a matter of weeks for the climate priorities and following from that will be the climate action plan.”
“I want us to look at the most impactful measures that we can make and to get off an administrative hamster wheel on this whereby one plan is being produced while the actions of the previous year's plan are still being worked through. I have had this discussion with the Climate Change Advisory Council, CCAC. I have met it in plenary. A new chair, Alex White, has been appointed to the CCAC. I meet the environmental pillar regularly, including just couple of weeks ago, and they understand that too. What are the most important measures we can take in CAP 26 to help us bridge the gap and continue the progress that has been made in many areas, no less so than on the energy generation piece? That is a genuine thing and I want people to understand what CAP 26 is and for it to be a readable document.”
“I fully accept the need to provide clarity on timeframes. I just want to explain what is happening on this. The last two climate action plans for 2024 and 2025 are still in place and the actions within them are still being worked through. I want to enable us to set climate priorities. The Deputy has previously asked me in the House about our climate targets. I have just said very clearly that while our projections and carbon emissions are going in the right direction, it does not look like we will hit our 2030 target. Having said that, we need to see how we can bridge that gap between the projected reduction and the target itself. That is why CAP 26 is so critical.”
“The ongoing transition to a climate-neutral economy has profound implications for our economy and society. In formulating the next plan, the Government must carefully consider a wide range of factors to ensure the approach is ambitious, feasible and sustainable. It is vital that our climate policies and emissions-reduction pathways deliver the best possible value for money while maximising the net benefits to society. We must protect the long-term competitiveness of the economy, maintain the State’s attractiveness for investment and maximise employment opportunities while ensuring a just transition that supports communities right across the country. That is central to it.”
“I have recently announced an unprecedented package of new and enhanced grants for homeowners, which I am glad to say have been really well received and we are seeing a significant uptake in grants by bringing forward the retrofitting passport committed to in the programme for Government. Work on the next climate action plan, CAP, 26, is under way. Following the extensive recommendations delivered by the Oireachtas joint committee on climate late last year, the Government is taking the necessary time to carefully finalise the carbon budget process. We will be doing that. I am of the view that the next climate action plan should reflect the outcome of that process. In that regard, my Department is working towards bringing a draft of the new climate action plan to the Government later this year. I also want to look at how we report on it.”
“We have reached a milestone of 8 GW of onshore renewable electricity generation. We have more than doubled our wind energy capacity in just ten years. I mentioned last month's record 50% of our renewable electricity generation. We are now also prioritising the development of our offshore wind capacity. We had another successful auction with Tonn Nua. Underpinning this is the investment of €18.9 billion in our electricity grid for the period from now to 2030, which is critical to the electrification of homes, businesses, transport and our society. On the Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland, ZEVI, front, we reached our target for electrical vehicle sales of 195,000 in October 2025, with sales now at 212,000.”
“Work remains ongoing across Departments to deliver on these commitments and carry out climate-mitigation efforts every day, supported by recently enhanced governance and delivery arrangements. Progress is being made. Ireland now has the lowest level of greenhouse gas emissions in 35 years, which is notable given concurrent demographic and economic growth, including a population increase of approximately 1.5 million people, more than 1 million new homes and over 1 million extra vehicles on our roads. Those are extraordinary growth figures, which we have been able to underpin by reducing emissions. We are making very significant strides towards our target of 80% renewable energy by 2030. Last month significantly, nearly 50% of our electricity was delivered by renewables.”
“I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 151 together. We are committed to delivering on Ireland’s responsibility to address the climate crisis and work remains ongoing across Departments to carry out climate-mitigation efforts every day, as evidenced by the roll-out of retrofitting, renewable energy development and deployment, and more affordable electric vehicles. All that continues at pace and is progressing well. These ongoing efforts are supported by the Climate Action Plan 2025, in tandem with its predecessor, the 2024 plan, both of which remain in place and provide a strong framework for continued delivery of climate action across all sectors, given that many of the measures and actions in these plans are multi-annual in nature and effect.”
“I got rid of things like the fast-track planning system that went straight to what was An Bord Pleanála and brought it back to a two-stage planning process through the local authorities and the board. Decisions should be made by planning authorities, not by courts. That is my view and I have always said that very clearly. I fully respect and will defend the right of people to make observations, be they objections or observations in support of a project. What we cannot allow as a country is the continued use of methods by a very small number of people to delay critical infrastructure projects and the weaponisation of very good legislation, which is the climate Act.”
“I do not think it does. I respect what the Deputy says but I disagree with it. Take the example of the floating gas reserve - the floating storage and regasification unit, FRSU - which we absolutely need. That is consistent with the climate Act in relation to the energy security of this country. That needs to happen. It will be debated in the Dáil and we will see whether it receives the support of the Dáil. It needs to happen. We are in no way setting aside the climate Act. What we are saying is, for critical infrastructure projects, what an acceptable length of time for objections to go on for is. I was the Minister responsible for planning in the last Government.”
“The Deputy and I know that there are critical projects that need to be delivered, particularly on the energy side. Energy is really where a lot of this is going. If we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuel, it is good for the climate, for the economy and for people. In some instances, we have very small groups or individuals who have been holding up these projects and have been weaponising a good climate Act and its purpose to slow and stall development. We cannot have that any more.”
“If the Deputy takes our offshore wind projects that are in planning right now as an example, she will see that many of them are the subject of requests for further information. We have already had groups say to us that if and when they are granted, these projects will be subject to a judicial review, JR, and will be brought to the High Court or the Supreme Court. That is not acceptable either. We are talking here today, and rightly so, around energy security and the acceleration of renewables, which, thankfully, we are doing really well. If you even look at solar, just over ten years ago, we had 2 MW of solar in our grid; we have 2,400 MW now. It shows what can be done. That does not even include over 1,000 MW of rooftop solar.”
“I assure the Deputy that climate impact and considerations will remain absolutely central to the ambition of this Government, though they must be balanced against other critical factors like housing shortages and energy security particularly, and when it comes to these projects of national importance. I assure the Deputy that I will continue to work across government to ensure climate impacts of projects are well-evidenced and incorporated into proposals at the appropriate time.”
“The Bill provides for the disapplication of section 15 of the amended Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, which the Deputy referred to, in very limited circumstances for designated critical infrastructure. Climate impact will still be one of the influencing factors when decisions are made and will continue to be accounted for through decision-making processes, particularly through the planning system where climate impact is already woven into the policy hierarchy, as confirmed recently by the Supreme Court in the Coolglass case.”
“The Critical Infrastructure Bill is a central pillar of the Government’s Accelerating Infrastructure Report and Action Plan and represents a significant step forward in strengthening delivery across all key sectors, including energy, which I will turn to in a moment. Accelerated delivery of infrastructure does not disapply our climate commitments or our targets at national level, but recognises an urgent need for the completion of major infrastructure projects in the State. Many new infrastructure projects, including critical electricity infrastructure and public transport projects, are themselves absolutely essential to supporting climate, environment and other social and economic objectives.”
“I really do not understand its position in this regard either. Sinn Féin was the only Opposition party to oppose decreases in costs to consumers, including households. It just does not stand up.”
“It is not a fair assessment to say we have done nothing. Ours was the largest intervention that has been made in the EU. I simply asked the question of Sinn Féin, as the main Opposition party and the one that presents itself as the potential alternative Government after the next election, in 2029, where it would get the money from? How would it pay for the retrofitting of houses and businesses? How would it pay for solar grants and heat pump grants? How would it pay for all the things that ensure the 244,000 homes already retrofitted are protected from aspects of price increases because they are using renewable sources? It has just never been explained to me. It is important that Sinn Féin do that. I could go through all of the measures. Sinn Féin knows all the measures that we introduced, because it voted against them all.”
“Sinn Féin has never explained where it would get the €660 million or so that we are going to invest this year to retrofit 73,000 homes, and also the carbon tax revenue that deals with the agri-climate environment scheme, other such schemes and business support grants. Where is that money coming from? Where would Sinn Féin get the money for a proposed further cut in excise to the tune of about €200 million?”
“The Taoiseach has not been dismissive in any way, nor has the Government as a whole. Maybe the Deputy could explain why his party was the only one on the Opposition benches to vote against every excise reduction when the first round of packages was introduced, on 25 March? It did that again this week. It voted against the measures introduced by the Government in the Dáil by way of financial resolutions to reduce costs for households and businesses. Sinn Féin was the only Opposition party on 25 March to vote against the initial package, worth €250 million. I do not understand that. Sinn Féin is for abolishing the carbon tax. The carbon tax retrofits homes and businesses to protect them, reduce their energy use and make them more efficient. It is a good climate measure, but it is also a really good cost-saving measure.”
“We are continuing to accelerate the deployment of renewables to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel, which is a risk for this State and many others. We are dependent on other countries for the energy that we use. This conflict, in particular, means we need to accelerate the deployment of renewables further. I assume I will receive the support of the Opposition in doing that.”
“We get that, and that is why the measures we bring forward have to be targeted. One quarter of Irish households, or about 470,000, receive direct supports through fuel allowance payments. We have extended these for a further month. We increased the payment per week in the budget. We have increased that further in a time-bound manner, effectively by extending it for a further month. We are not going to be able to protect every sector from every price increase. Obviously, what we want to see is a de-escalation of the conflict and a return to normality. What it does speak to as well is the absolute need for us to continue to accelerate energy generation from renewable sources. On a positive note, we saw last month, in March, that 49% of our electricity was generated through renewables.”
“As Ministers and as TDs, we fully understand the pressures households and businesses are under due to the price increases because of the outbreak of the war in the Middle East. It is a global situation that every country is grappling with. By any fair assessment, the intervention that the Irish Government has made on behalf of its people amounts to multiples of the value of others made in the EU. It is about 7. 5 times greater, per capita , than that of Germany. It is the largest one that any state has actually made to support businesses and households. I refer to the reductions in excise on diesel, including agricultural and green diesel, and petrol, and also to the reduction to the National Oil Reserves Agency levy. All of these add up to a significant saving. People are still under pressure, absolutely.”
“We need a plan-led approach to this and that is why we have published the large energy user action plan. The final decision has been given on that, which is very clear. It involves a planned approach to where and how we deploy electricity and energy resources to enable large energy users to grow and to enable us to continue to attract increases in domestic indigenous business and in foreign direct investment. That is critical. One is not in conflict with the other. The measures for which EirGrid has sought approval from CRU are appropriate and are risk-mitigation measures. Many other TSOs across Europe are doing the very same thing and it is right, proper and responsible that we do that. Housing growth and industrial growth are not in conflict. We need to continue to accelerate delivery of our grid investment programme, which we will do.”
“That is why the grid investment programme and capital projects like the North-South interconnector are so critically important and we are going to get on and do those.”
“That is not the case. Industrial and economic growth is not in conflict with growth in housing output. In the past five years, we have delivered 135,000 new homes; last year, over 36,000 new homes. That is good and is what we need to do. In PR6, the grid investment programme that has been published and that is there for everyone to see, there are about 520 capital projects. As part of that, it states what this investment will support. It supports large energy user growth, housing growth and other industrial and economic growth. That is right and proper. In this discussion, data centres are treated by some as a negative. They underpin tens of thousands of jobs in this country. We are at the leading edge of new technologies and cloud technologies and should continue to be at the leading edge.”
“This is a short-term measure to mitigate small potential risks. It is the right thing to do. CRU will determine how the fault ride through and the new grid operation pertains to the application from EirGrid.”
“In line with EirGrid's licence obligations, it has been proactively managing this issue but, similar to other jurisdictions, believes additional measures are needed to ensure grid stability is not compromised in the short term. That is being looked at right across Europe. EirGrid has submitted new timebound requirements for large energy users to CRU for assessment and a decision. I have engaged directly with the sector as well. There has been a good collaborative approach. It is just risk mitigation. It is not that there is a risk of blackouts, as the Deputy said. Systems operators always have to look at what could happen in the future and look to mitigate risk. That is the appropriate and sensible thing to do. The sector has been collaborative and constructive in its approach.”
“That is not what EirGrid said. We have to put the facts on the floor of the House. EirGrid is the transmission system operator responsible for managing our power system at all times. It is independent of me as Minister but I meet and engage with its representatives regularly in the exercise of their functions. They are accountable to the regulator, CRU. Fault ride through is what the Deputy is referring to. It is a growing grid stability and electricity security risk for energy system operators worldwide. We are not the only country looking to mitigate potential risks, regardless of how small they are. We saw what happened on the Iberian Peninsula and in Virginia in the United States. Every system operator is looking at its risks, regardless of how small. We are not in a situation whereby we are at risk of a blackout, I assure the Deputy.”
“We want to target those who are at energy security risk or energy poverty risk. We will protect the carbon tax because it is a clear mechanism for us to be able to protect households and businesses into the future.”
“This is not a cancellation of an increase; it is a deferral. The cost is approximately €22 million in paused tax receipts. To put that in context, the overall investment from 2019 to now is over €2 billion. Our budget for this year, I assure the Deputy, is unaffected. We have also changed the retrofitting grants for households and seen a significant uptick in applications there. We want to bring forward a retrofit passport to make it more accessible, particularly to middle-income earners. We are seeing a significant increase in applications for heat pumps because we upped that grant to €12,500 - the cavity wall grants as well. We had a good debate on solar yesterday. The Social Democrats brought forward some ideas around that. I want to accelerate solar further. We did 33,000 solar installations last year and can do more this year.”
“To be fair to the Deputy, colleagues in the Labour Party and other parties in the Opposition, with the exception of the main Opposition party, support the carbon tax because it brings forward specific ring-fenced funding in order that we can protect households and businesses against future shocks. This is a deferral of this increase. That is all it is. We will target resources in specific areas, reduce costs and certainly ensure there are no further increased costs because of Government tax in the middle of this year.”
“It is a good question. What we have tried to do regarding the support package of about €750 million is to make sure that it is balanced and targeted. We have done decreases in excise duty. We have also brought forward specific schemes of support for vital sectors. For example, the haulage sector has been provided €40 million per month for three months in targeted payments and there is €100 million for the agriculture scheme. That is to help with the fuel price spikes and increases we have seen because of the outbreak of the war in the Middle East. Specifically on the Deputy's question, I will defend the carbon tax.”
“I will come back in on a couple of other areas that we are funding, such as the just transition fund and the green climate fund.”
“The target includes 11,500 fully funded home energy upgrades under the warmer homes scheme, which we discussed yesterday at some length, for households at risk of energy poverty. A record of over €340 million of the budget has been provided for this year. There has been a significant investment and year-on-year growth in home energy upgrades. From 2019 to December 2025, about €1.7 billion was provided in support for homeowners. We have done about 244,000 homes under that, including almost 33,000 fully funded upgrades, particularly focusing on homes at risk of energy poverty through the warmer homes scheme. To answer the Deputy's question directly, the budget and allocation this year is not affected by not increasing the carbon tax this year.”
“I thank the Deputy for this timely question. The allocation of the carbon tax is a matter for the Minister for public expenditure and reform, who took questions just before this. There has been no change because of the pause in the increase in the allocation for 2026. That was published as part of the Revised Estimates Volume, REV, last December and approved by the Dáil on 26 March 2026. Within my Department's 2026 allocation, there are three areas that received funding from the carbon tax. First, in the residential community retrofit programme, the budget allocation is a record €641 million this year, including €558 million from the carbon tax. We are planning for this to support the home energy upgrades of 73,000 homes this year, including solar PV.”
“Last year was good and we will have a significant increase this year. If we need policy changes to accelerate that, I am open to that. Grants for solar for medically vulnerable people are available. We have seen that deployed in the hundreds last year. I want to do that in the thousands. I thank the Social Democrats for the motion, giving us an opportunity to debate this in a calm and civilised way. I appreciate that too. I have moved the countermotion but I am certainly open to looking at other aspects of the solar scheme to see how we can deploy more.”
“I want to see us, through the SEAI, reducing the turnaround time from application to completion of work. They are 100% grant aided. It is for those in energy poverty or at risk of energy poverty and it works very well. It is a deep retrofit which entails a lot of work but I think we can improve the timelines and I am committed to doing that. On the solar grant side of things, over 8 GW of renewable energy is integrated in our grid. Over 1 GW of rooftop solar in this country is not grid connected. Last year 33,000 homes accessed grants for solar and I want to increase that further. If I can accelerate that by changes to it, I am very open to looking at it. They are permanent savings, reducing our dependency on fossil fuel. By any fair assessment, we are doing well on that.”
“There were 4,000 business grants last year for retrofitting of businesses to improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. Households are making permanent savings of up to €500 per annum. I got the most up-to-date figures in advance of this debate. These figures just came in in March. Since we changed them, many more people are accessing them. Between March 2025 and March 2026, roof insulation increased by 81%. There has been a 95% increase in heat pump applications. That is because we have increased that grant to €12,500. That is a major cost reduction for people once they get the heat pump working in their home. There has been a 62% increase between March 2025 and March 2026 in cavity wall insulation and we need to do more. On the warmer homes scheme, we have done about 33,000 homes.”
“Those on lower incomes can access the warmer homes scheme, which I will talk about in a moment. Looking at how we have broken those grants down, it is now a retrofitting passport. For the 250,000 homes that have already been retrofitted, including 53,000 in 2025, that provides resilience for those households against future energy shocks and reduces dependency on fossil fuel. I agree with what the Deputies have said in the debate that we need to do more on that, and I intend to. This year I am targeting 73,000 homes with the money we have from the carbon tax. To be fair, the carbon tax is something the Social Democrats believe in because it is ring-fenced for retrofitting measures, not just for households but also for businesses.”
“We are the number one in Europe at integration of renewables into our grid. It is fine to be critical. I get that and that is political discourse but we also need to recognise how quickly we have moved. In 2015, just over ten years ago, 19% of our electricity came from renewable sources; last month was 49%. Solar is up to about 4% and that is increasing at a really significant rate. The suggestion for the expansion of solar is a good one that I am happy to look at in more detail. With effect from 1 March, I have made significant changes to the retrofitting grant. Many of the Deputies and their colleagues were at the briefing I gave along with the SEAI in the audiovisual room. The purpose of that is to make sure that the grants are accessible to people, particularly those on middle incomes.”
“We campaigned on them and were elected and are part of Government and we will make good on those on those commitments. We also saw broad increases in the last budget of €10 per week to maximum personal payment rates benefiting pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents. There were proportional increases for people receiving a reduced payment rate and qualified adults. These changes took place from January of this year. That was in advance of the outbreak of this war. Most will understand that we have to manage the resources of the State in a careful and sustainable way. We have also increased fuel allowance by €5.35 per week and extended it to those on the working family payment. I am pleased today to be able to have this discussion around renewables. Ireland has got to accelerate renewables further.”
“It is a fact that the intervention we have made of €755 million on behalf of our people is the largest in Europe on a per capita basis and is actually numerically one of the largest, too. It is about seven times that of Germany and nearly 15 times that of Poland. It is significant, but we do retain the flexibility to respond further. On budget measures, critically, a raft of social welfare changes were made, particularly to support carers on child support payments. I will not go through them all here, but on carers allowance the income disregard has increased from €375 to €1,000 for a single person and from €750 to €2,000 for a couple. The income limit for carers benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 per week. That change takes effect from July this year. They are measures that many campaigned on.”
“That has also been announced and will be deployed to give real cash payments to assist productive sectors, particularly food production, but also in the supply chain that are critically important to that. They are on top of additional measures that were taken, such as expansion of the diesel rebate scheme. The extension for a further four weeks of the fuel allowance, which has been referenced, is very important. What has not been referenced heretofore is that a quarter of the households in the country receive a direct payment through the fuel allowance scheme because we have expanded that to the working family payment. We are talking about 470,000 homes of those who need it most. If we look at the overall package, these are big numbers and we have to see how they are deployed down.”
“The supply chains are critical and these are normal businesses. I engaged directly with the hauliers and the coach sector in advance of any of the protests. I have been working through this with them for a number of weeks. I met the Irish Road Haulage Association, IRHA, on Good Friday and engaged directly with its representatives. We have now been able to establish a scheme of €40 million per month in fuel supports for the next three months that is very targeted at the SME sector within our supply chain. That is €120 million over a three-month period. There is another €100 million in a fuel subsidy support scheme to assist the very farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers Deputy Cairns spoke about.”
“This Government is charged to respond in kind and endeavour to lessen the impact of those cost increases on families and citizens across the country. We recognise very clearly that this crisis for families and businesses is a very severe one, and that is why we have to deploy our resources in a sustainable and targeted way. I want to run through some of those measures. Practical supports were brought forward on 12 April. These were: a reduction in excise and diesel by a further 10 cent to an overall reduction of 32 cent; a further 10 cent with regard to petrol, 27 cents in total; a reduction in excise duty on marked gas, 7.4 cent in total; a deferral of the planned increase in the carbon tax scheduled for 1 May until October and reductions of a further 2 cent in the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy up to 31 July.”
“In my response I would like to tell Deputies about the changes, particularly in renewables, and where we are going because I am wedded to the acceleration of renewables and we are seeing good progress in that space. To Deputy Hayes I would say that I am not responsible for who writes headlines, so I am not responsible for the media. He was lamenting the fact that certain things were covered in the newspapers today. That is one thing that the Government cannot be blamed for. We all know the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East, and we have seen a greater shock in relation to oil and gas prices than we have seen since the 1970s. That is on top of what we have seen in the war in Ukraine and the massive spikes in inflation and elevated prices that we have seen since then. Again, these issues are not unique to Ireland.”
“I thank the Social Democrats for tabling this motion. It is undoubtedly timely and a lot of this was debated yesterday. The Government won the confidence motion, but I just want to assure Deputies that no one in government is telling people everything is all right. That is not the case. People and families are struggling, unquestionably, and not just in Ireland. It has been recognised as a global crisis. I would like to address some of the specific items raised in the motion. I recognise it as a genuine attempt to feed into the debate and policy in this area. I assure Deputies that I have listened and I am here to listen to what is being brought forward.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that, the Government: — remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and Gulf; — affirms Ireland's long track-record of support for international law and the United Nations; — continues to seek de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy so that these issues can be resolved; — is acutely aware of the impact on households and businesses of the recent increases in fuel prices, and is actively monitoring the current geopolitical situation and developments in energy markets; — affirms that energy affordability is a priority for this Government; and — highlights that action has been taken to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy by introducing one of the most comprehensive support packages in the European Union; affirms that: — the practical measures introduced by Government on 12th April include: — a reduction in excise on diesel by a further 10 cent (including Value-Added Tax (VAT)) bringing the total reduction on diesel to 32 cent; — a reduction in excise on petrol by a further 10 cent (including VAT) bringing the total reduction to 27 cent (including VAT); — a reduction in excise on marked gas oil (green diesel) by a further 2.4 cent bringing the total to 7.4 cent (including VAT); — a deferral of the planned increase in carbon tax, scheduled for 1st May until October 2026; and — the reductions in excise include the National Oil Reserves Agency levy reduction (announced in March) and will take effect from midnight on 14th April and run until 31st July, 2026; — Government will also be establishing a new Road Transporters Support Scheme as well as supports for coach operators providing local link services, at a cost of €40 million per month for three months; — a comprehensive €100 million Fuel Subsidy Support Scheme to assist farmers, agricultural contractors and fishers will be put in place; — this package of supports is in addition to the measures announced in March, which included: — an expansion of the diesel rebate scheme, backdating it to January, to help sectors of the economy most impacted by the rise of fuel costs; and — an extension of the fuel allowance season to help the most vulnerable with the cost of home heating; — a range of protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills, anyone who is struggling with their bill is strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier and suppliers will not disconnect customers that engage with them; — the four biggest energy retailers have confirmed that hardship funds and focused measures are in place for any customers in difficulty; — switching supplier or plan could save the average electricity customer up to €500 annually; and — the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the Additional Needs Payment to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulties with fuel bills; and further notes that: — successive Budgets have provided targeted support to help households with cost-of-living pressures; — on 11th March, Ireland agreed to participate in an International Energy Agency (IEA) release of international strategic oil reserves to address supply issues resulting from the conflict, Ireland's contribution to the IEA 400-million-barrel release is 1.6 million barrels (equating to approximately 10.5 days of supply); — in Budget 2026, key measures included the largest ever increases to Child Support Payments, higher income thresholds for the Working Family Payment, and expanded access to the Fuel Allowance and Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance; — recent data from the Central Statistics Office's Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2025, published on 11th March, shows a welcome reduction in the child Consistent Poverty rate in 2025 from 8.5 per cent to 7.8 per cent, demonstrating the impact of Government measures to date; — Government has also established the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability; — a dedicated NEAT subgroup is being established to monitor global and national energy supply, with a separate subgroup to advise on appropriate demand-side responses; — the Solar PV Scheme operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with increased budget allocations from carbon tax revenues year on year allowing for more households to avail of the support available; — the Government remains committed to ensuring that low-income households benefit from Ireland's renewable energy transition and will continue to explore how best to integrate solar and other technologies into our energy poverty retrofit programmes; — in the long run, the best way to protect Ireland from the impact of international fossil fuel prices is to reduce our dependence on them; — Ireland is undergoing a renewables-led energy transformation, electricity generation from renewables has increased fivefold since 2005, the milestone of over 2GW (gigawatts) of installed solar capacity was achieved in November; — offshore wind capacity is also being prioritised, with the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, announcing the acceleration of the National Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) for offshore renewable energy, which will identify sites for additional renewable energy development; and — €3.15 billion of the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund is being provided to help achieve carbon reductions and environmental and nature objectives, this includes funding to the Department of Transport to support low-carbon transportation, and €500 million to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to support climate mitigation and renewable energy development.".”
“This will be my final question. This evening we will bring forward financial resolutions to cut fuel bills and to bring forward measures, such as for the road hauliers, which is €40 million per month in support. The question, and it will be on the Dáil record, will be who will support that and who will actually vote for it.”
“Then I look at the main Opposition party, however. What did it actually bring forward? The Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, mentioned one line from the Sinn Féin motion referring to do everything we can on energy prices. Sin an méid. The fact of the matter is-----”