Pearse Doherty
Donegal · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“I move amendment No. 1 to Seanad recommendation No. 2: To delete from the row dated "1 September 2026" down to and including the row dated "1 May 2030" and substitute the following: " 15 July 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.00 €210.45 €172.14 €167.25 €79.17 €11.48 14 October 2026 €502.88 €502.88 €371.85 €371.85 €371.85 €0.…”
“Next week, this House will rise, the doors of Leinster House will be locked and Ministers will head off on their summer holidays. Their parting gift to ordinary Irish people across the State will be to have locked in fuel price increases that will hit them in their pockets.”
“That is not acceptable and it is why we in Sinn Féin have tabled this amendment to say that these price increases should not be going ahead and that prices should be properly monitored at the appropriate time.”
“This is tied to the latter amendment and I will speak further at length on that. Recommendation No. 1 deals with the diesel rebate scheme, which operates within a window that closes on 1 October.”
“Hope is what we rely on when we have no control. It is not a substitute for prudent economic planning. There is zero certainty here. There are no guarantees that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open or that global supply lines will not be choked tomorrow morning.”
“As if that were not good enough, the Government is not just hitting people with increases on petrol and diesel. On top of that, it is going to hit them with an increase in the cost of home heating oil, natural gas and a basic bag of coal.”
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Every one of 1,554 lines we hold for Pearse Doherty, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 32.
“I move amendment No. 1: In page 6, to delete lines 1 to 22 and substitute the following: " 1 July 2026 €381.00 €502.88 €250.00 €371.85 €371.85 €0.00 €210.45 €21.00 €167.25 €79.17 €11.48 14 October 2026 €706.14 €706.14 €615.76 €615.76 €615.76 €160.81 €210.45 €219.50 €167.25 €103.66 €11.48 ". These amendments go to the core of the legislation. This legislation is flawed because it has left people under severe financial pressure in the middle of a really hard time for so many families across the State. Amendment No. 1 probably sums that up best. It would remove excise completely from home heating oil.”
“Section 1 deals with the diesel rebate scheme. As I have said to the Minister of State and the Tánaiste, there are many issues with this scheme. One of the particular issues is cash flow. I have outlined previously to the House that the best way to support hauliers and transport operators was to provide the rebate at the pump. There would be no delay and operators would not have to wait for three months, meaning there would be no issue with cash flow. In addition, given the way the energy directive is formed, that would allow for the same benefit to be passed on to other consumers, like the motorists travelling the length and breadth of the State who have in the last period paid significantly increased sums for their diesel.”
“Others have also been mentioned, including Liberty, Rockathon and other events. There is a serious flaw in the legislation that has to be fixed. This should never be allowed to happen and it has to be dealt with. However, the immediate priority here is ensuring we do not lose these festivals. What interaction has the Minister had with the parent company, which has a multimillion euro turnover in Germany? What is the Government looking at to make sure these festivals are rescued in terms of grant support?”
“I return to the issue of the liquidation of tickets.ie . As I mentioned yesterday when I raised this issue, as somebody who is a director of a not-for-profit music festival, I understand the challenges festivals face across the State. In the past, I have raised the fact we have lost about a dozen major festivals across the State in recent years. The liquidation of tickets.ie has had a devastating impact on a number of festivals, including some that are not for profit, such as the Rory Gallagher International Festival in Ballyshannon in my county. The potential hit there is €283,000, which is literally wipe-out territory. That cannot happen. This is an excellent festival that attracts people internationally and keeps the name of Rory Gallagher alive. It is also very important for the local economy.”
“The penny needs to drop. Half a million households is massive. I am asking this very clearly. Will the Government act now, before these increases take effect in three weeks' time, and bring forward energy credits?”
“The Government also needs to make direct intervention. It needs to bring forward energy credits right now. It has to understand the scale of the problem. There are people coming to me who never had a problem paying their electricity bill or gas bill, but because of the relentless price increases they now cannot pay their bills.”
“The Minister and his Government withdrew energy credits in last year's budget. That is why we are seeing what is happening now. We have record numbers of families across this State who cannot pay their electricity or gas bills. That is on the Government. We are paying the highest electricity costs in Europe and the electricity companies have just told us they are going to jack up prices again. In less than three weeks 1.2 million families across the State are going to face near double-digit increases in electricity and gas prices? What is the Minister's response? It is that we should wait to see what the Government does in next year's budget. That is not good enough. The Government needs to call in the energy companies and it needs to tell them that increase after increase is simply not on.”
“Timely action now, including energy credits, would ease the pressure on workers, families and pensioners who are already struggling to keep up. Will the Government act now? Will it listen? Will it provide energy credits as an immediate solution for people who are really struggling? What is the Government's answer to the hundreds of thousands of families who are facing mounting energy costs and financial strain?”
“People are exhausted after years of rising costs. They have cut back where they can. They have adjusted their budgets and absorbed increase after increase but many feel there is no end in sight. The most frustrating thing is this is all happening at a time when there are unprecedented financial resources at the Government's disposal. The Minister's Government claims to understand the pressures people are under but the regulator's figures tell a very different story. They show financial pressures remain severe for many households despite repeated assurances that conditions are improving. For the first time ever there are more than 500,000 households across this State in energy arrears and families are facing prices going up yet again. The Government still has an opportunity to act before the latest price increases take effect.”
“While record numbers of households are not able to pay for their basic energy needs we see energy companies have once again announced they are going to hike up energy costs. At at time when many families are already trying to keep pace with rising costs energy bills are set to rise again. Last week the biggest energy supplier in this State, Electric Ireland, announced sharp increases but there was not a peep out of those in Cabinet or Government. The Minister, Deputy Burke, points to economic growth and his Government points to record tax revenues and budget surpluses running into billions of euro. None of these things can reduce the bills that are landing on the kitchen tables each month and none of these things change the reality facing hundreds of thousands of families who are struggling with the cost of essential services.”
“Cad é an freagra atá ag an Rialtas do na céadta míle teaghlaigh atá ag tabhairt aghaidh ar chostais fhuinnimh atá ag ardú agus an brú atá ar chúrsaí airgeadais? The latest figures from the energy regulator paint a deeply concerning picture of the pressures that are facing families across this State. For the first time ever there are over 500,000 families with energy accounts in arrears. These figures show there are more 319,000 families who cannot pay their electricity bills and 183,000 families who cannot pay their gas bills. These figures only tell part of the story. They do not include households who silently disconnect because they cannot afford to top up a pay-as-you-go meter. For those living alone and families with young children these choices have real consequences for health, well-being and quality of life.”
“Léiríonn na figiúirí is déanaí ón CRU pictiúr thar a bheith gruama den bhrú atá ar theaghlaigh ar fud an Stáit. Don chéad uair riamh anois, tá níos mó ná 500,000 cuntas fuinnimh teaghlaigh i riaráistí. Níl na teaghlaigh a dhéanann iad féin a dhícheangal mar nach bhfuil siad ábalta íoc as méadar íoc-mar-a-úsáidtear san áireamh sna figiúirí sin. I gcás go leor seandaoine, iad siúd atá ina gcónaí leo féin agus teaghlaigh le páistí óga, bíonn iarmhairtí tubaisteacha acu maidir le sláinte, ar fholláine agus ar chaighdeán na beatha. Agus líon mór teaghlaigh ag streachailt chun íoc as bunriaráistí fuinnimh, tá méaduithe eile fógartha anois ag na comhlachtaí fuinnimh. Cad é go díreach atá an Rialtas chun a dhéanamh faoi seo?”
“There are serious issues that do not just affect the Rory Gallagher International Festival; it also affects other private festivals in the State. There also may be an issue where the Government intervenes. There is a question now that we need to look at whether we want to make sure these festivals continue next year. If they do, the money has to be paid, or the State will have to support them in some way to make sure that they continue.”
“I have skin in the game in this as I am a director and chairperson of our not-for-profit music festival in Donegal. I am not speaking about our own festival. The Minister will be aware of the liquidation of tickets.ie recently. This has caused major problems. We have not-for-profit music festivals that operate in my county of Donegal, such as the Rory Gallagher International Festival. It is an outstanding festival that has operated for many years that was a client of this company. We are now seeing them out hundreds of thousands of euro. This cannot stand. This company that is going into liquidation is 75% owned by the DEAG Entertainment Group in Berlin. We need to be looking all the avenues. That means our foreign affairs Minister, our EU Commissioner and the German ambassador here need to be called in.”
“I have described Donegal as a number of pearls that we have across the county from different locations and different events. What is missing there is the necklace that ties them all together. In a way, the Wild Atlantic Way is a form of that type of necklace. When we are missing a pearl or two, the necklace does not look the way it should. When we make sure that all of the pearls are joined up, it is something that is attractive and can encourage more tours, operators and people from overseas to come here. One of the issues that I have raised in the past has been the issue of the entertainment sector and it being able to attract tourism into regions across the State. I have raised the issue of the fact that we have seen music festivals close down over the last number of years and the need to support music festivals, in particular.”
“I wish to raise the issue in relation to Glenveagh National Park, which is a jewel in the crown in the north west. The issue here is that time and time again we see people come to Glenveagh National Park, they travel long distances to visit for the day and find that tours are not available depending on the day that they arrive. This should not be happening in a national park which is open seven days a week. Tours should be available at all times. It is basic investment that needs to be there. There were issues in the past where people could not get car parking and had to travel two hours back. Some of those issues are being addressed. Tourism takes many different forms. There are types of investment that are required to sustain, support and supplement what we have.”
“However, the problem is that if we are being serious, there are serious infrastructural issues in relation to Donegal. The north west is not serviced by motorway. It is not serviced by rail links. It has serious issues in relation to its public transport infrastructure, which is supplemented by a number of private operators that have operated excellently for many years. There is also basic infrastructure. I come from Gweedore, for example. There are hotel developments that are being stalled and held up because we do not have a sewerage scheme that been promised time and time again from the Government. We also have tourist attractions that need just that little bit of investment, particularly our islands, which have seen a huge explosion of tourism over the past while, but can be further developed in a more sustainable way.”
“Tourism is one of Ireland's most important industries. We all know that it supports jobs, sustains local businesses and brings investment to local communities across the country. The beauty about tourism is that it goes right deep into some of our most rural and most hinterland parts of our island. If we are really serious about developing tourism, we must also be serious about addressing regional inequalities that continue to hold areas back. I come from Donegal. I can say hand on heart that it is the most beautiful and scenic place in the country. It is blessed with spectacular scenery that you would not see anywhere in Europe, although I am very biased in that regard. It has got that tradition and is rich in culture, our language, our heritage, our islands and all that it offers.”
“It is also why, when people witness suffering, injustice and genocide in Palestine, their instinct is not to look away but to speak out. The people of Ireland expect their Government to reflect those values always, not only when there is no cost, but especially when difficult choices have to be made. The question before us is not really about sport but about whether there comes a point when a nation says that normal business cannot continue. History tells us that there are such moments, occasions when silence is wrong and when neutrality between oppression and injustice is impossible. That is the tradition we inherited and it is the one we should honour. It is the tradition that should guide us today. That is why we need to stop the game.”
“This debate is about more than a football match. It is about who we are as a people. Ireland is a small nation but in our history we have sought to play a role in the world that is larger than our size. That role has not been built on military power or economic might but on our instinctive understanding of injustice, our own experience of colonisation, dispossession and partition and our belief that small nations have rights, people have the right to self-determination and international law matters. That tradition has shaped Ireland's place in the world for generations. It is why people took a stand against apartheid in South Africa and why Irish peacekeepers have served with distinction across the globe. It is why Irish neutrality enjoys great public support.”
“The Government should be pressing for these changes to be stopped and reworked to ensure that people are protected. We need to see leadership on this because people cannot be left paying the price for these new rules. It will cause chaos and the fraudsters will have a field day. More importantly, people are going to be out a serious amount of money in their pockets as a result of this.”
“At a time when people are under serious pressure from the cost of living, the last thing they need is another unexpected charge. Ireland is uniquely exposed because of online shopping and how it is integrated with Britain. For many households, buying everyday items online has become a normal part of life. The concerns that were raised this week by An Post and others cannot be ignored. If these changes are going to result in additional costs, delays and disruption for people, then the Government needs to act. Nobody argues against the need to ensure that products entering the EU meet proper standards but let us be clear, these measures were intended to tackle high-volume, low quality imports, not to leave ordinary people facing extra charges every time they shop online.”
“If that decision has not been made, then the Government should, at the very least, be able to tell the people when the decision will be made. I will finish with one other cost-of-living issue. People shopping online are about to be hit with an additional €3 charge per item in parcels originating outside the European Union, including from Britain, as new EU custom rules come into effect next month, on 1 July. Many people simply do not know what they are about to be hit with. Shoppers beware is the message here. Somebody who buys three products from Amazon in Britain or from British online retail store, for example, like a pen, a notebook and a keyring, will have to pay an additional €9 on customs, with VAT added on top of that €9.”
“The idea that this House will be in recess, that Ministers will be on holiday and that these prices will go up on 1 August is simply not acceptable. Nobody can predict, with certainty, oil prices in the future but the public deserves to know that there is a plan in place. The Houses of the Oireachtas will need to pass legislation to allow for an extension. These Houses are set to rise for the summer in mid-July. That leaves the Government with just a matter of weeks to bring forward any financial motions that are needed. Despite that looming cliff edge, everyone is being left in the dark. If prices stay at the current levels, then there needs to be an extension. Prices cannot be allowed to go up by 32 cent, as provided for in this legislation. What is the Government's answer to this? It has been mute on this issue so far.”
“Right now there are many homes that have not had home heating oil since March. People are still feeling that they are getting absolutely hammered by the cost of petrol and diesel. Green diesel is far too expensive at the pumps. That is where we are at right now. The Government can pat itself on the back all it likes but that anger has not gone away. The problem is that the legislation the Minister of State has brought forward today, the Finance Bill, will be enacted next month, in July. At the end of that month, what is going to happen? According to this Finance Bill that the Government is asking us to vote for, the price of diesel will go up by 32 cent and the price of petrol by 27 cent. What planet is the Government living on? People need support.”
“All the disruption, all the tension and all the loss of income could have been avoided if the Government had listened. Instead, it decided to threaten the protesters and to stoke up tensions further. The protests might have been spearheaded by farmers, farm contractors and hauliers, but their demands were much broader than just their own sector. That is why they garnered support right across Irish society, despite the disruption that comes along with protests. They want direct cuts at the pumps that would help everyone. They called for excise duty cuts to home heating oil. That is why and how the protests tapped into the wider anger at the cost-of-living crisis, an anger that comes from feeling that it is just one thing after another. When we are talking about fuel costs, it is part of a wider picture.”
“Farmers and farm contractors were watching the price of green diesel almost doubling. What was the Government’s response? It was to cut the cost by 3 cent when the price went up from 90 cent to €1.60. That was the response of the Government after it had increased by 80 cent. People were gobsmacked, and that anger began to build as the reality bit home. Businesses were going to go under and jobs were on the line, but this Government did not seem to care. That is what the 3 cent cut in the price of green diesel meant to so many. The message went out loud and clear that you were on your own. That was the message from this Government. That message demanded a response and, by God, did this Government get that response in the form of the fuel protests.”
“That was the reality for people up and down this country when the price of fuel spiked in early March, when Ministers were more concerned with their St. Patrick's Day trips than taking action to protect the Irish people. It was sustained pressure from Sinn Féin, including legislation that I brought before this House on 10 March, that dragged the Government into acting. It took three and a half weeks of mounting pressure on the Government to force it to finally do something. Not only was it late in coming, but its initial response was a disgrace and barely scratched the surface of what was needed. It was the catalyst that drove people onto the streets in their thousands in the fuel protests. We only have to look at it through the eyes of those at the sharpest end.”
“They are unfair, and they do nothing for the climate or the environment where alternatives do not exist or are unaffordable. It is a tax on people trying to heat their homes or to get from A to B. The kicker is that the more the Government fails in delivering affordable green electricity and public transport, the more it collects on carbon tax because people have no option. It is a regressive tax, plain and simple. We are in the middle of a cost-of-living challenge for so many people. People are getting hammered by costs. This started long before the attacks on Iran that sent the energy markets into chaos. It has been unrelenting for years. Real wages have stagnated as prices have continued to go up.”
“The Government nowhere in legislation says that it will improve the healthcare outcomes for people until 2030, or make an investment every year. It does not say that with regard to tax changes that would allow people to keep more money in their pockets but, by God, when it comes to carbon tax, the Government is not found wanting. It has no problem saying that not only is it going to increase it in October, but it is going to do the same to you in 2027, the same to you in 2028, the same to you in 2029 and the same to you again in 2030. This Government knows one thing about the future, which is that it is going to put additional pressure on ordinary people. It is striking that what we are talking about here is additional taxes on people, some of whom are already struggling to meet their needs. Sinn Féin opposes increasing carbon taxes.”
“That is a shocking indictment of Government failure, and it does not even count all of the people on pay-as-you-go meters and those working every hour that God sends and just managing to keep their heads above water. Section 4 deals with the postponement of carbon tax on solid fuels, such as coal, briquettes and turf. These are fuels that heat the coldest homes in the country. It is what people turn to when they cannot afford a refill of oil. The Government is now proposing to lump more tax on home heating oil, coal and natural gas in October. When the days are getting shorter and far colder, the response of this Government will be to push up taxes on home heating oil, coal and natural gas. You could not make it up. This legislation also recommits to increasing the carbon tax every single year until 2030.”
“They had just seen the price of home heating oil almost double, and the Taoiseach was not only refusing - indeed, he still refuses - to cut a single cent of excise duty from home heating oil, but his reaction was also to heap more tax and more pressure on that same family. It is no wonder that anger boiled over and, by God, anger did boil over. Section 3 does the same for the carbon tax on natural gas. There is no access to natural gas in Donegal. As with the rail network and the motorway network, my constituency is cut off from the gas network. However, for many people across the State, heating their homes and water with gas has become completely unaffordable. One in four households is unable to pay the gas bill.”
“The second component of this section is that the carbon tax is being postponed until the autumn. That was one of the most frustrating elements of the Government's response to the crisis. The Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, specifically ruled out taking this basic step over and over again. At a time of huge pressure and crisis, he stood and proudly said that he and his Government were going to put taxes on people in the middle of the crisis. His immediate reaction to the fuel crisis was to dig his heels in and refuse to consider postponing a carbon tax increase. Think of that from the perspective of someone who was sitting at home with an empty tank in a cold house.”
“It contains both excise cuts on fuels like petrol and diesel and the postponement of carbon taxes on home heating oil, green diesel and canister gas until October of this year. The excise cuts should have gone further on petrol, diesel and green diesel. We know people are still spending over €100 to fill their tanks. If they live in rural Ireland, have a long commute or drive as part of their work, they are getting crucified by those prices over and over again. We have heard from carers, home help workers and ordinary people who simply cannot afford to put fuel in their car. At the same time, the Government prioritised other areas. It cut private jet fuel by 17% while struggling to reduce home heating oil by a single cent. You could not make this up.”
“Sinn Féin argued in this House over and over again for a completely different approach. Because of how the EU energy directive is designed, when the diesel rebate scheme is increased, the space for the Government to reduce excise for the wider general public is reduced. However, there is a way in which the wider public, hauliers and transport operators can benefit at the same time. If the Government makes the cut directly at the pump, hauliers get the benefit, and they get it immediately without having to wait for three months. Everybody else also benefits - every commuter and every person who fills up their car with petrol or diesel - and it avoids the cash flow issues that the rebate scheme has ingrained within it. Section 2 is probably the most substantive part of this legislation.”
“Táim buíoch as an deis labhairt ar an mBille seo. The Bill follows on from the financial resolutions that were passed through these Houses and came into effect in March and again in April in relation to the fuel crisis. Section 1, as the Minister of State said, relates to the increase in the diesel rebate scheme. I have raised this issue on many occasions with the Minister of State and the senior Minister, given the fact that many hauliers have issues accessing the scheme. On top of that, as the Tánaiste accepted when I put it to him previously, even the people who can access the scheme face severe cash flow issues and have to wait up to three months before they get the rebate. Despite the acceptance of this fact and the genuine issue that hauliers were facing, we still see no action to address it.”
“Meanwhile a letter has been sent to members of the FAI's general assembly demanding an extraordinary general meeting. The letter from the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland and others is very clear. It urges delegates to back a motion calling on the FAI not to participate. Séamus Coleman is right. This should not be landed at the feet of the players. Those with the power should take responsibility, so the Government must withdraw its support for the match going ahead against Israel. I am asking the Tánaiste to take a stand for what is right and to stop the game because he knows that if the Government withdrew its support, this game will not go ahead.”
“I congratulate Jordan and Cian Adams, who are going to complete their incredible superhuman challenge of running a marathon every day for the past 32 days across 32 counties to raise awareness of frontotemporal dementia. Fair play to the two lads. The Irish football team should not be playing Israel as it continues its genocide in Gaza and its brutalisation of the Palestinian people. Yesterday, the Minister of Culture, Communications and Sport, Deputy O'Donovan, and the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, confirmed that they will not be attending the match in Dublin but does it not stink of hypocrisy that the Tánaiste expects, on behalf of the Government, the Irish people to accept the match going ahead when his own Ministers are actually boycotting it?”
“I spoke to a parent of a child who is 13 years of age and who has missed a lot of school because of their medical vulnerability. They have care every night from the HSE, which proves their medical vulnerability. As the portal only allows you to do one or the other, they cannot avail of the school-based programme. They need a home-based programme. I ask the Tánaiste, in examining this issue, to also examine that issue and make sure that medically vulnerable students are not denied the option, which until now was always the case, to avail of either-or.”
“I welcome the decision to reopen the portal, and I ask that clarity be given to schools and parents immediately. The Tánaiste talked about a short extension but it needs to be long enough to deal with the process. As a result of the botched situation this year, there is now huge pressure to allocate tutors, so this cannot happen again. I want to raise an additional issue relating to this year. My understanding is the scheme has also changed, in that there is now only one option, where all the pupils take either the school-based or home-based programme. That locks medically vulnerable children out of the system. If the school decides on a school-based programme, you cannot have a home-based programme for that medically vulnerable child.”
“Will he acknowledge the hurt, anxiety and anger at the decision Government has taken and will he listen to the pleas of the parents, teachers and principals? Will he immediately reopen and extend the application portal, so that no child with additional needs will be denied supports this summer? We need certainty right now.”
“Now, Government is effectively telling them their child will lose out on support that they so desperately need and have relied on year after year because of an unreasonably tight deadline, bureaucracy and red tape. Families do not understand it, teachers do not understand it and, for the life of me, I do not understand it. This is mean spirited and penny pinching. It is penny pinching at the expense of vulnerable children, and it is not on. We have raised this again and again. Teachers have raised this and parents have been pleading with Government to act but it refuses to do so. Yesterday, my party Leader, Deputy McDonald, raised it with the Taoiseach and he ignored her question. Is the Tánaiste going to listen and do the right thing?”
“Parents are facing enormous battles accessing services for their children. As we know, they are already struggling to secure assessments, therapies, tutors and SNAs, and many feel they are constantly being pushed from one waiting list to another - from one bureaucratic process to another. Meanwhile, supports remain under-resourced and out of reach for many of them, and now we have this on top of all that, with more stress, worry and upset. These are children with additional needs. We have to think about that for a minute. These are children with additional needs, and their families are already carrying a huge emotional and financial burden. These are parents who spend every day fighting for supports and services, simply to ensure their child is treated with dignity.”
“How can a Government, which constantly proclaims to include and support children with additional needs, allow this to happen? Schools and families have been pleading with the Department to intervene but their appeals are falling on deaf ears over and over again. This year, the application window for the July provision was open for just one week. In previous years, schools had months to complete this process. Many schools simply did not have sufficient time to process applications, gather the paperwork and complete the registration before the portal was closed. The real life consequences of all this is that children with additional needs are now locked out of vital education support this summer. It is absolutely appalling. However, it is not an isolated problem. This is happening to families right across the State.”
“The July provision scheme provides vital summer educational supports for children with additional needs, and for many children, these supports are not optional; they are absolutely essential. They provide structure, routine, stability and continuity during the summer months. Yet, right across the State, families are now being told their children are going to be denied and will lose out on these vital supports because of a deeply unfair and badly handled decision by the Department of education. I have been contacted by principals, teachers and parents who are deeply distressed. They are all telling me the same thing; they are angry, upset and desperate to be heard. Parents are lying awake at night, worrying about what will happen to their child now.”
“Cuireann an scéim fhoráil Iúil tacaíocht ríthábhachtach samhraidh ar fáil do pháistí a bhfuil riachtanais bhreise acu. Níl na tacaíochtaí seo roghnach le haghaidh roinnt páistí; tá siad riachtanach. Go fóill ar fud an Stáit, tá an Rialtas ag insint le teaghlaigh go bhfuil na tacaíochta seo á gcailliúint acu. I mbliana, níor osclaíodh an tréimhse iarratais don scéim fhoráil Iúil ach ar feadh seachtain amháin. Sna blianta roimhe seo, bhí míonna ag na scoileanna leis an bpróiseas a chur i gcrích. Beidh páistí a bhfuil riachtanais bhreise acu fágtha ar leataobh anois gan na tacaíochtaí ríthábhachtacha seo don samhradh. Is iad na páistí féin a bheidh thíos leis.”
“It just outsources responsibility to the European Union or to the markets and that has failed and is continuing to fail people. I will continue to raise this over and over again because people really need it, right here and right now. We need an emergency cost-of-living package, we need an emergency budget and it cannot be held back any longer.”
“These are our older people, the people who have lived their lives, paid their taxes and done everything right, yet the number of them in poverty has now doubled under the Government's watch. We would not need an automatic framework if we had a Government in touch with what is going on up and down this country and if we had a Government that was in touch with the pressure that people are under. We need to help people in the here-and-now but that has to be used just to buy time to make the actual long-term reforms. This Government has done none of that, however. It has done one-off measures that have never been combined with any meaningful change to make lasting difference to people's lives. We have remained trapped in a cost-of-living crisis because the Government has run out of ideas.”
“I welcome the constructive proposals in this motion but the only way to respond to the scale of the pressure is with an emergency budget and to take a fraction of the surpluses for this year and use it to take the pressure off people right now. We have had report after report, more and more evidence stacking up, all of it just telling us what people already know: that life is unaffordable, that it is a struggle and that something needs to give. Workers know their pay cheque does not stretch to the end of the week any more. Pensioners know the massive pressures and costs they are under, and the measly increase in last year's budget did not even keep up with food inflation. You can draw a straight line from that to the fact that the number of older people living in poverty has doubled under the Government's watch.”
“Most people, schools, organisations and businesses have been completely let down and left on their own. Every worker in this State was abandoned last year in the budget by this Government when it gave more than €1 billion in tax cuts to those at the top and left workers worse off. When people were drowning under the cost-of-living crisis, this Government chose not to give them a helping hand. People are working harder now than ever. They are doing longer hours. They are working every hour God sends them just trying to keep their heads above the water. They are paying more and more, yet somehow they are falling behind.”