Pa Daly
Kerry · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in to deal with this issue when other colleagues were not available. She will be able to bring her experience of this area to this debate. I am slightly caught for time, so I will try to parse it a little bit. I wish to ask the Minister of State about the harmful content on social media platforms.”
“While we know violence against women is a crisis and femicide in Ireland is a crisis, it is overwhelmingly men who carry out these acts. These are men of all cultures, races and ethnicities. However, social media giants have a responsibility and are clearly not stepping up to the plate. They are not complying with their obligations.”
“The Digital Services Act was introduced. It was to ensure a safe, predictable and trusted online environment and to prioritise greater activity and online safety. There is the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 to protect children and the public from harmful and illegal content. There is a danger.”
“We are running over time but I will make one more point. If, as it provides in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, we are to protect children and adults from online conduct, how does it look as an example to younger people in particular when this content is still allowed to be there?”
“Somebody even said that they hope these comments are not going to be deleted to suit one's ideology, which they misspelt. That is the kind of narrative that is going on. They are mocking her beliefs and her. It is similar to what is being investigated by the police in Britain.”
“Bhíos ag caint le healaíontóir i gCiarraí níos luaithe um thráthnóna. Labhair sé liom mar gheall ar na mothúcháin a bhaineann le AI. Dúirt sé liom it could help to generate ideas, layouts and content more quickly, leaving more time to focus on strategy and working with clients.”
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“Ordinary workers and families are being hit with sky-high bills, as well as exorbitant rents and steadily increasing grocery prices. On top of that, mortgage payments and car insurance costs - which are still stubbornly high despite all the breaks and concessions given to that industry - and the cost of childcare are all increasing. The list goes on. After all, the Minister must know that Ireland once had the lowest electricity prices in the EU, and now we have the highest. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael presided over this change. Not only did they do nothing to stop it, they have reinforced the system that caused it. They have chosen not to intervene. They have chosen to protect the corporate bottom line instead of intervening to protect ordinary workers and families. People are saying the same thing: enough is enough.”
“However, the question remains: why are we paying the highest price in Europe? Why do our bills fall more slowly here in response to falling wholesale costs when compared with other countries? This do-nothing Government is out of touch. It is sitting on its hands while people are pushed to the pin of their collar. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael continue to act as if workers and families are in a position to wait until the budget later on this year, but people are struggling here and now. They keep asking themselves just how bad it has to get before the Government will step in and act. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want people to believe that these prices are out of their control and that they are too complex and technical to fix, but we can see that Irish households are being fleeced.”
“Heat and power are not luxuries; they are basic necessities that should not cause households to spiral into debt. There is now a record number of households in arrears, with nearly 320,000 unable to keep up. Their debt levels are higher now and they last far longer than ever before. We in Sinn Féin are not the only ones calling this into question. The ESRI has called for an independent investigation and for the regulator to release the relevant data for independent analysis. However, the Government and the regulator have refused. One of the key drivers, according to Eurostat, is network costs. The Government has not intervened. It says we must get the balance right and keep our powder dry, there is nothing it can do and it is all the fault of the war in Ukraine or now the attacks on Iran.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." In Ireland we have huge potential for a hopeful vision and we have a natural gift of 540 GW of renewable energy in offshore wind. We can achieve energy independence if we have the requisite motivation and we can return to the days when we had the lowest electricity prices in Europe, if there is State investment and development. However, we are currently paying the highest electricity prices in the EU. Recent reports from the ESRI and Eurostat show that we are paying 40% more than the European average, €480 more in average bills and we had the third-highest increase in costs, behind Austria and Romania. These figures are from 2025 and do not take into account the recent increases in the cost of pre-pay power.”
“If energy remains treated primarily as a commodity for profit rather than a necessity, ordinary people will pay the price. Climate action is another area where fairness matters. Measures that increase living costs without realistic alternatives do not change behaviour; they deepen hardship. That transition must be a just one that brings people with it rather than leaving them behind. The crisis is about dignity, about whether people can live decent lives, heat their homes, put food on the table and plan for the future without constant anxiety.”
“We need energy credits for households, a €500 payment for people with disabilities, a suite of measures to protect the most vulnerable and a permanent cut to the USC that puts €500 back in people's pockets. This must happen now. Ordinary people cannot wait again until the end of the year. It brings us back to the central issue, that of political choices. A cost-of-living crisis on this scale is not inevitable but how it is managed reflects priorities. It is a choice of whether to protect those who are already comfortable or to stand with workers, families and communities under pressure. Energy affordability is a clear example. High prices are not simply the result of global forces; they are shaped by how systems are designed, regulated and taxed.”
“They are not just producers of food; they are the backbone of rural Ireland, sustaining local economies and, by and large, they spend their money locally. They keep communities alive. When farmers struggle, rural communities suffer and so does our food security. It is about protecting jobs, safeguarding supply chains and keeping local economies functioning. Supporting farmers and hauliers is not just about special treatment. Acknowledgement alone will not pay the bills. What is needed now is decisive action. That is why Sinn Féin is calling for an immediate emergency budget. The Exchequer is billions of euro in surplus but in the real world people are counting every cent to be able to afford the basics. People cannot wait until next year. We need a budget now and we have set out what clearly needs to be done.”
“These are often small family run businesses, providing stable and secure jobs, especially in rural and regional areas. They support local garages, mechanics, fuel and service providers and when haulage works, communities work. Fuel is not just another cost for hauliers. It is their livelihood. Rising diesel prices cannot be absorbed forever. When haulage firms are pushed to the brink, the consequences are severe. Jobs are lost, costs rise and ordinary consumers end up paying more. The same is true for farmers. They are under relentless pressure with fuel, electricity, fertiliser and feed costs, all of which have increased sharply. Yet, farmers have little control over the prices they receive and are being squeezed from every side.”
“What we have seen so far simply does not meet the scale of the crisis. There is a growing disconnect between decision makers and ordinary people. We hear of strong public finances, healthy balance sheets and a surplus but in kitchens and sitting rooms across the country, there is no surplus. Their economy is wrecked. There is only stress, worry and fear about how bills will be paid. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are completely out of touch. This pressure is not only crushing households; it is putting an enormous strain on people and sectors to keep our communities alive. Hauliers are the perfect example. They are the backbone of our local and national economy. Hauliers are essential to every pharmacy that dispenses medicine. A truck is necessary to keep goods moving.”
“This is no longer about tightening belts because, for many people, there is nothing left to cut. The reality is simple. People are struggling to heat their homes, face electricity bills they cannot afford and are paying more every week for fuel, groceries and the basics of daily life - none of these costs can be avoided. While all of that is happening, they are being told to wait for the next budget, even though the last did not have anything for working families. They are being told to wait for the markets to settle and to wait for help that never seems to arrive. That is not leadership; it is political failure. When people are forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table, the response cannot be half measures and recycled analyses. An emergency requires an emergency response.”
“Their prices have skyrocketed by over 70% and the Government had and still has no answers for them. What about the hundreds of thousands of households in energy arrears who are racking up record debt? What about the surging number of households that are having their electricity cut off? Where is the Government's answer to them? They have been abandoned and left out in the cold by this do nothing and out of touch Government. The truth is that we are living through a moment of unprecedented crisis, with record levels of households in arrears and skyrocketing numbers of people at risk of energy poverty. Yet, with each passing day things are deteriorating. Across the country, ordinary people are doing everything right. They are working hard, budgeting carefully and cutting back whenever they can but it is not good enough.”
“The haulage industry is essential to Ireland's economy. It is not just about moving goods; it is about keeping local economies alive. Every shop shelf, building site and farm relies on a local driver and business to keep moving. The sector was already under considerable strain before this crisis. When the US and Israel began their war on Iran, which spread across the region, the pressure became unbearable. Despite this, the Government sat on its hands four weeks, prevaricating until people were forced onto the streets to make their voices heard. Only then did the Government take action. Still, it only came up with half measures and continued to overlook large swathes of our economy and society. Its measures fell far short. What about the 750,000 households who are reliant on home heating oil?”
“The Minister of State is correct to say that there is a growing use of rail, and we support that, but its development and broadening out are at serious risk with projects like this. The minutes of Irish Rail board meetings are publicly available. The chair of Iarnród Éireann and the project director have expressed serious reservations about the direction and delivery of the project as well as concerns about the contractor's ability to deliver all phases of the project. The failures of this project also raise massive concerns about the contractor's ability to deliver the new €269 million-plus contactless transport ticketing service, the contract for which it also has. We are in a situation where there are electric buses parked up. They are not being used and there are serious concerns about the ability to deliver next generation ticketing.”
“The costs are massive, and people are keeping an eye on this at the moment with the cost-of-living crisis. I do not think that the progress, answers or reviews are good enough. The Department, the Minister and the wider Government need to take action.”
“There may not be difficulty with railway safety at the moment, but to say that progress has been slower than anticipated when €31.5 million has been spent without the first phase having been completed is surely the understatement of the year. I understand that there are between seven and nine phases to it and we have not even reached phase 1 despite that kind of expenditure. I do not need to go into the history of bike sheds, children's hospitals and so on but is there a danger that something similar will happen, given the snail's pace of this progress? It was presented as a flagship project. It was going to be the brain of the railway network and the NTA said it was a critical component of the national train control centre, but we cannot hide from this.”
“I want to ask the Minister about documents recently released to the Committee of Public Accounts relating to cost overruns in the IT system that was supposed to regulate train movements across the State. Under the initial proposals, the traffic management system was targeted to be commissioned in 2024 with an associated target cost of €19 million. However, over €31.5 million has apparently already been spent without the first phase having been completed. Has the Minister of State any statement to make?”
“Unfortunately, personal responsibility is corralled or dictated by the chances of getting caught. When the number of arrests, the amount of enforcement and the number of gardaí on the road have decreased so hugely and the number of drink driving arrests is down by 75% since 2007, people are more likely to get into cars. That is just human nature. I want to ask about the flip flop on the disbanding of the RSA. An independent report was commissioned, done by Indecon. It said the dual role of the RSA in delivering operational services, such as driver testing and NCT, is a distraction from the more important role of national road safety policy, education, which the Minister spoke about, and campaigns. It undermines the ability to respond to rising fatalities.”
“The consequences of that are that while 14% of driver fatalities in Australia, for example, have a positive toxicology for alcohol, that figure is 35% in Ireland.”
“The Minister mentioned that there had been progress on all actions but, unfortunately, that is not seeping down into the road death figures, which are going in the wrong direction. It is not the Minister's brief but I want to refer to the number of gardaí on the roads. It is a consequence of inaction by the Government. There are 400 fewer gardaí on the roads than there were 15 years ago. The number of gardaí in that Garda unit has halved since 2009. We received a briefing the other day from Alcohol Action Ireland. There are some very worrying statistics in its brochure. It said that, in 2025, there were 4,800 arrests for drink driving. That compares to almost 20,000 in 2007. The rate of breath-testing among licensed drivers is only 5.3% whereas in other countries it is multiples of that.”
“What measures are being taken to improve road safety? Clearly, road safety and fatalities on the road are moving in the wrong direction, and quite dramatically so. An independent report said that there had been a very worrying recent increase in fatalities and serious injuries. Since 2019, road deaths have risen by 31% in Ireland while across the European Union they have fallen by 15%. What steps are being taken to address this?”
“Then, perhaps the centre could be open in time for the June bank holiday weekend, when the Ballyduff summer festival is on, or as the Minister of State hinted, it could be open for Heritage Week in August. That would be greatly appreciated after all this time.”
“Given the length of time we have been dealing with this - the works have gone on for 15 years, but the OPW and Department have been looking at this and considering various interpretative centres around the area for 40 years probably - the least the people of Ballyduff deserve is that the report be prioritised and expedited as quickly as possible so the tower can be opened. The report will allow the access structure or whatever alternatives there are, to facilitate the reopening as soon as possible. It is not a lot to ask. The internal works have been completed. There is a platform inside. The door is 9 ft off the ground so when people go in they are on a platform. I think the lime-washing has been completed. If it is just a question of preparing a report regarding safety and the completion of the works, can that be done?”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I am glad minds have been concentrated and I hope they will remain concentrated after today. I hope the Minister of State will go back to the Department. I asked a parliamentary question about this matter a year ago and the reply indicated that a reassessment of risk and public safety access would be prepared. I understand from the Minister of State's reply, which I thank him for, that the OPW will issue a full report following the completion of the works, which should be soon. It is all a question of priorities at this stage.”
“People are not even allowed to go in and walk around the base of the structure. I am asking that the Government do one of two things, either build a platform so the inside can be accessed or, if it will not do that, remove the scaffolding so people can be allowed access around the base of the tower so it can be viewed properly. In the meantime - and this is an easy request; going back to the 1980s, as I said, there was to be extra interpretation - will the Government put some information signage with QR codes so the history, which is unknown to many people, can be explained? Will it link in with local people to source the local history? I suggest that the site be opened either for the Ballyduff Summer Festival, which will take place in June, or for Heritage Week, which will take place in August. The time for delaying this is over.”
“As I said, the site has been closed for 15 year while these works are being carried out. Internal works have been completed and I am told there was a promise going back to the 1980s to reopen the site with an interpretative centre. In an area like Ballyduff, which some people feel has been neglected - there is a totally inadequate wastewater system there, for example - there is all the more reason for them to feel that the untapped tourism and historical potential is not being addressed. People are frustrated. The round tower could be the centre of a tourism project that would boost the village because it is just off the Wild Atlantic Way and employment, including secondary employment, could be created there. However, because of the scaffolding that surrounds the bottom of the round tower, it is a building site.”
“The lightening conductor was being reinstalled and there were some other minor projects and it was promised at that time that some new interpretation would be made available on the site. I am not sure that the Office of Public Works, the Department or the Government realise the significance of this former ecclesiastical site. I met some German tourists there last year who came to Ireland to see two sites. One was Clonmacnoise and the other was Rattoo Round Tower, so on an international archeological basis, this is of huge significance. At one stage, the site contained the 1,000-year-old round tower, which is probably the best preserved in Ireland and the only round tower remaining in Kerry, an abbey and a hospital and, according to a local schoolteacher, a harp school of music operated there going back to the 1600s.”
“Eleven years ago, a reply was given by a Minister of State in this Chamber that the works at Rattoo Round Tower in Ballyduff in north Kerry, which were being undertaken at that time, included conservation and repair, working on the exterior and then moving on to the interior. The works are continuing to this day and great work is being carried out by the national monuments depot works section, which is based in Killarney and in general does excellent work. However, the pace of the work is incredible and there is deep frustration in the Ballyduff area that this magnificent round tower, which has an unbelievable history going back 1,000 years, has remained closed for the past 15 years. Back in 2015, there were a few jobs to be done.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle, and thank you for the opportunity to raise the issue of the former ecclesiastical site of Rattoo in Ballyduff, north Kerry. It is a national monument and 1,000 years old, and it is the best-preserved round tower in the whole country. It once hosted an abbey, a church, a hospital and even a school of music. It is of immense historical and local significance and huge tourism potential but it has been closed for 15 years while works are being carried out by the national monuments depot works. Most of those works have been completed. Can the Taoiseach give us a date when it will open again, either by taking away the scaffolding or by opening up the gate? Tourists cannot visit.”
“What representations has the Government made, whether at EU level or to the United States, about the oil blockade of Cuba, which has resulted in a huge humanitarian crisis? Does the Minister of State agree with the call by Mexico, Spain and Brazil that urgent and sincere dialogue should take place to address this?”
“Any move away from neutrality will not be supported by the Irish people. The neglect of the Defence Forces is a political choice, and running a bulldozer through it will not fix it. The scale of human suffering across the world is staggering. We all know what has happened in Palestine over recent years. For the Jewish Power party to be wearing golden noose lapel pins on their suits in the Knesset in Israel is a staggeringly depressing visualisation. What they want is separate facilities for people who have been convicted or sentenced to death, no visits apart from authorised personnel, no legal consultations except by video link, and assassinations or hangings to take place within 90 days of sentencing, closing off appeals and clemency. Is this where we have ended up on the international stage?”
“Our collective humanity is under massive threat. We are witnessing a massive breakdown in global leadership. The EU too is drifting towards militarisation. There are escalating trade tensions that threaten jobs and livelihoods and a raging cost-of-living crisis has resulted from wars and conflict. We have seen a devastating collapse in international development funding across the global south. We must be seen to be a neutral country and be proud of it. We cannot be seen to be neutral on injustice or war crimes. We must be militarily neutral, independently principled and committed to human rights, international law and the institutions that are under attack. If the Government is moving away from neutrality, it should put that to a referendum. Our position has got us respect for years. This reputation cannot be gambled away.”
“Mexico, Spain and Brazil recently called for dialogue to address the gross humanitarian crisis that is happening in Cuba, but there is not a peep out of this Government about the situation there. Why is that? Why do we remain silent so many times? We already saw the three-card trick the Government pulled in the run-up to the election about the occupied territories Bill. Eighteen months later, we are still waiting for it to be enacted. The Government has shown cowardice on an international scale. We are looking at international law being torn up. Human rights are optional. Institutions built to prevent catastrophe are under attack. We have seen what the US has done to its health and humanitarian outreach to foreign countries. It has been withdrawn from them. The US has stopped supporting UNRWA.”
“It is difficult to overstate just how precarious the geopolitical context has become. We are going from one disaster scenario to the next, and the consequences will no doubt be felt for generations. No words are sufficient to condemn the impunity or disregard for human life that is on display. When we think back to recent human history, we ask how we could have let it happen. There is conflict across the world, in Palestine, Sudan, Lebanon and Ukraine. Even though there is no conflict in Cuba at the moment led by an international warmongering country, the blockade of oil in that country has led to the worst economic and energy crisis in recent decades.”
“As I said, we are dangerously overdependent on imported fossil fuels with 94% of imported energy fossil-fuel based. There is a clear way out of this which is the delivery of Irish energy independence, not as one Government Minister says by sitting on their hands and navel gazing about offshore wind but delivering.”
“Households are paying for grid updates driven by massive corporate demand and corporations are not paying their fair share. That is a political choice made by this Government. The solutions are there to end the rip-off but the political will is not. After the war in Ukraine and now what is happening in the Middle East, global instability is being exploited and corporations are cashing in. Still, for three years the Government has failed or refused to give the energy regulator extra powers to tackle price gouging and anti-competitive behaviour. Sinn Féin would act to regulate standing charges, enhance transparency and make sure that the biggest users of energy pay their fair share because households should not be doing it. There is a design flaw in the energy system that is not designed to serve the people.”
“As the criticisms grow, it is getting harder for the Government to ignore the mounting evidence. We are deeply dependent on imported fossil fuels, emissions reductions are lagging, climate targets are slipping and energy independence is starting to look like another opportunity that has been let slip through the Government's fingers. That is the legacy of this Government. The reality of what people are dealing with in the cost-of-living crisis is that families are being crushed. The balance is not right and Government is completely out of touch. We have the highest electricity prices in the European Union. While households are being fleeced, giant data centres are getting sweetheart deals. Families are paying six to eight times more in network charges than data centres. Let us call it what it is.”
“Ordinary people are paying the price because we have not seen a just transition. In fact, it is the opposite; ordinary people are being punished by Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and even the Greens, all because they cannot afford to transition. Sinn Féin recognises the magnitude of what is before us. We see that urgent and ambitious action must be taken. We have to get it right and we are not going to do that with the approach that has been taken to date. This is eco-austerity. Sinn Féin has repeatedly warned the House from the very beginning that the Government's approach could never work due to the inequitable outcomes. Regressive measures that prioritise eco-austerity over just transition produce growing resentment and fear among ordinary people. They fail to leverage climate action and actually set us back.”
“Acting now means protecting communities, safeguarding rural livelihoods and ensuring that energy security in an unstable world is prioritised. There should be ambition but there should also be fairness. Climate action will only succeed if it brings people with it. Lowering energy bills, expanding affordable alternatives, investing in renewables, resilience and ambitious transition is the only way to protect Ireland's future while no one is left behind. Unfortunately, the record of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on climate action is littered with missed targets and broken promises. They promised that today's pain would bring progress tomorrow. They assured us that carbon taxes would change behaviour and they consoled us in the face of skyrocketing prices by telling us that better things were around the corner, but that is incorrect.”
“Nowhere is this more real or apparent than in the tributaries of the River Feale in Listowel, the Abha Bheag and the Smearlagh. Not only has the biodiversity been decimated in that area in that there are no brown trout left in the rivers, but it has been completely wrecked by the plantations of Sitka spruce. We saw the flooding in Listowel two weeks before the election which has not yet been analysed in the reports that have been published. Because of the plantations, because of the vertical drainage, a surge came from heavy rain and flooded two or three parts of Listowel town. That has never been addressed but I would put it down directly to the plantations upriver. As I said, the impacts are not distant; they are happening now. Ambitious climate action is not optional; it is essential.”
“World Earth Day is a day that should be about hope, urgency and leadership but the truth is that the Government has failed on climate action. It has failed on fairness and has failed on any kind of just transition. If emissions continue on their current path, climate change will have profound consequences for Ireland. We can see the warning signs already: more frequent flooding; stronger storms along the coasts; rising sea levels threatening coastal communities; and increased pressure on farming from unpredictable weather, drought and flooding. Our food system, biodiversity, water quality and public health will all be put at risk, and Irish towns will face repeated flood damage. These impacts are not distant or abstract; they are happening now. There was some mention earlier of plantations and biodiversity.”
“Local authorities need to be properly resourced. Rural communities must be protected. The strategy must be all-island in nature. Cleaner air cannot come at the expense of those who can least afford it. We must have a just transition. This Bill is a step forward to it. We look forward to working with the Minister and the Department in advancing it as quickly as possible.”
“Linking up with them is not just sensible; it is obvious and essential. We support the intent of the Bill and we support cleaner air. I would like to make one point and we may come back to this on Committee Stage. The original 1987 Act states that owners of non-domestic houses shall use the best practicable means to limit or if possible, prevent air pollution. Given that the consequences of allowing pollutants from non-domestic operators are so serious, perhaps we could look to tighten that up. If a prosecution is taking place, does it not give a polluter, who is allowing microparticles to go into the air, too much leeway by just referring to "the best practicable means"? Should we look at moving to more of a strict liability situation in improving the Bill? We support stronger enforcement but it must be fair and must be affordable.”
“Local authorities which are already stretched very thin also need personnel. If the Government is serious about enforcement, it needs to fund and staff local authorities as otherwise we will be setting the councils up to fail, just like announcing all the new SNA posts and then not filling them. I am glad the Bill does not interfere with turbary rights. We also need an all-island strategy. The Border of this island is once again exposed as unnecessary and harmful. We need to think beyond county lines, beyond the Border and take a united-Ireland approach. Air pollution does not stop at Newry or Aughnacloy, as we have long said. We need co-ordinated regulations, co-ordinated enforcement, co-ordinated public awareness and an all-island strategy. My colleagues in the North are already advancing policy in this area.”
“Phasing it out without providing alternatives is madness. Measures on air pollution that target solid fuels have to be accompanied by affordable schemes and targeted supports. For too long, local authorities have been asking for a task force to enforce environmental regulations. They simply have not been provided with the tools or the resources and then the Government blames them for the regulations not being upheld. This Bill finally gives them the ability to issue on-the-spot signs, the ability to seize non-compliant fuels and clearer authority to tackle illegal trade. They are positive and will protect honest law-abiding fuel merchants who register properly, meet the standards and sell clean, compliant products. They should not be undercut by those who ignore the rules and sell cheaper, dirtier fuels.”
“At the climate committee yesterday morning, we heard about the two-year waiting list for the warmer homes scheme. One third of grants for electric vehicles are given to people who buy cars that are worth €55,000 or more. Is that acceptable? Does someone who can afford a car costing that much really need a grant of €5,000? We have been warning about this for years. The Government's failure to support solid fuel homes is putting people at risk. It cannot talk about a just transition when designing schemes for the well-off. It cannot criminalise people for heating their homes when the alternatives are not there. We need to make retrofitting work for everyone not just the well-off. We need targeted supports for rural houses and solid-fuel homes, and we have been calling for that for years.”
“Importantly it does not capture the households the length and breadth of the country that have no other option than to use solid fuels but have been hit by price hikes since the introduction of the carbon tax. In the past week in particular, we have seen the Government, Labour and Social Democrats cosying up to each other, holding hands and dancing around the carbon tax bonfire but without more accessible grants, it is a double tax. It is a wealth transfer sometimes for people in wealthier households. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have left these households behind. There is a crossover between those who live in energy poverty and those who are reliant on solid fuels. The very people who most need the SEAI retrofitting supports are the ones who cannot afford them.”
“It must be addressed but balanced with the fact that energy poverty harms people too - older people, rural households and low-income families. A record 320,000 households are in arrears on energy bills. As substantial as that is, it obscures the scale of the problem and it does not capture the hundreds of thousands of families on hardship pay-as-you-go meters who regularly get cut off for one, two or three days at a time. Nor does it capture the 750,000 households reliant on home heating oil who cannot afford to fill their tank because the price of home-heating oil has doubled over the past five or six weeks and the supports have not been there to address that.”
“There needs to be a just transition for solid fuel homes and local retailers, more protection from the carbon tax for many rural and elderly homes that have no choice but to continue using solid fuels, for whom it is unrealistic to expect them to transition over. With the approach we have seen, it is not surprising that illegal smoky fuel imports have increased, which has to be dealt with. Behind the technical language and all the amendments, people have been left behind, people on solid fuels. Energy poverty is spiralling. We need an all-Ireland strategy on it or we will never get to grips with air pollution. It is a public health crisis. Over 1,600 premature deaths, as was mentioned by the Minister of State, occur every year in Ireland due to air pollution.”
“Not every household can afford more expensive, higher standard fuels. We cannot create a cliff edge where people already struggling to heat their homes are pushed into deeper hardship. We must have a just transition to renewables. Cleaner air cannot come at the cost of those who can least afford it. As is the hallmark of recent years, there has been a plethora of new rules and set targets without outlining the pathway to get there. Many ordinary people have seen cliff edges that see them punished because they cannot afford to access an alternative. The local authorities need to be resourced to enforce the new rules.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his speech. We support the intent and objectives of this Bill. Cleaner air is something that every one of us wants for our families and communities, and for future generations. We agree that local authorities do need stronger powers. We all know that the main sources of air pollution are solid fuel burning and transport emissions. While air pollution is often framed as an urban issue, it is very much a rural problem too. Across my own county, families depend on solid fuel for their heating. The open fire and the range are not just appliances, they are part of our culture also. While I fully support the aim of the Bill to ensure that the fuels being sold are cleaner and safer, we must also recognise the cost pressures that people are under.”