Réada Cronin
Kildare North · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“A united Ireland will change that and unlock an all-island economy that would work for everyone who lives on this island. Every Irish county would finally have a government whose only priority is Ireland.”
“Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht seo inniu. Many myths exist about a united Ireland. I believe the biggest one is the alleged cost it will be to the Twenty-six Counties.”
“I always wonder why this was even cited as an issue because it is exactly what already happens to pension recipients in Spain, France, Ireland and wherever a retired British worker resides. The truth is that even if the economic case was more challenging than it is, Irish unity would still be the right thing to do.”
“It has already been made clear that a reunited Ireland would see the North automatically return to EU membership, creating enormous opportunities for growth across the entire island.”
“In doing the right thing, we also create a stronger economy and a better future for generations to come. Then it is not simply good economics, it is the fulfilment of our national potential. When I came across to the Chamber today I walked through the hall and I looked at the Proclamation again.”
“Molaim mo chomrádaí, an Teachta Aengus Ó Snodaigh, as an rún seo. An Teachta Ó Snodaigh has done Trojan work for the arts community for many years, and I am sure we have plenty more years to look forward to. Ireland is well-known around the globe for its music, arts and literature.”
The complete record
Every one of 295 lines we hold for Réada Cronin, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 6.
“It would be a fundamental assault on their human rights and their constitutional right to education if we were to take the SNAs they have in school away from them. These are the children who rely on the hard, diligent work of SNAs every single day when they come through the gates of mainstream schools. They are already being badly treated. This is unacceptable. A piece of advice for this awful Government: do not take on the parents of children with special needs. You will not win.”
“We had almost 1,400 parents at an online meeting last night. We heard from anxious parents who say they feel the Government does not care about their children, and that their children are being stripped of their dignity due to the lack of respect. These are SNAs who themselves have children with special needs, and that is what brought them to that call. Most mams were almost in tears, and many parents succumbed to those tears. Let us leave aside the genuine worries of SNAs, teachers and parents for the moment and think about who this is really damaging. This is about vulnerable children, citizens of this State. That is who is being punished here at the end of the day, just because they have additional needs.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí Ní Raghallaigh agus O’Rourke as an rún seo a chur chun cinn. Cuirim fáilte roimh na SNAs agus gabhaim buíochas leo as an obair atá ar siúl acu. The past two weeks have been a truly worrying time for many parents, SNAs and teachers across the State. The uncertainty of the SNA allocations for September has shown that the Government does not value the work that SNAs do to support students with additional needs. Individual TDs might, but, collectively, the Government does not. That is the transparency that people are seeing. It is the teachers who are already trying to do their jobs in the largest class sizes in Europe who will be asked to pick up the pieces should schools lose SNAs. I have spoken with parents, teachers and SNAs from Leixlip to Kilcock, and all the way down to Naas.”
“The social contract is well and truly broken for people. What chance do young people have? The Government is only short of packing their bags and driving them to the airport. Once more, Sinn Féin is offering a fix here but the Minister just will not take it. Sometimes I wonder whether the Minister actually attend his constituency clinics at all. Does he not hear this week in, week out? It is all that comes into my office every Monday and Friday and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, my secretary is left to deal with it. The Government can ban vulture funds from snapping up family homes and give young people and families a chance to build a decent life here in Ireland.”
“The Government's policies have actively driven up prices even further on houses that young people were trying to purchase, locking ordinary families and workers out of new homes in the area. The Government's response to this was to apply a measly 10% levy to those vulture funds on the purchase of ten or more homes. This did not work, along with all of the Government's subsequent attempts to try to solve the housing crisis. None of them is working. House prices only continue to soar year on year in Maynooth and all across my constituency and the State. In Maynooth, the average price for a three-bed second-hand home is up 8% to almost €500,000 - half a million euro to put a roof over your head. It is absolutely crazy. The same can be said for Celbridge, Leixlip and Naas, where house prices have gone up 12% in the past year.”
“It is getting harder and harder to own a home every year this Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition is in power. Government is continuously missing housing targets. The prices of houses are soaring. Rents have also reached new highs nationally and are only set to get worse from 1 March, following the Government's disastrous legislation last week. Sinn Féin has continuously and repeatedly offered a solution to help with home ownership. Many will remember a particularly nasty, grim episode from my own constituency of Kildare North when an investment fund sought to purchase 135 homes in Mullen Park in Maynooth. That left a nasty taste in everybody's mouth, I can tell you.”
“They went through their entire secondary schooling in the old building. They never got inside those schools and the schools are already at bursting point. This applies to St. Patrick's school as well. This is really important. I have spoken to parents whose children move down the list and when they get a place, they feel relief. However, those families should not have to go through this. We need a system that works so that parents and their kids do not have to go through this anxiety every year. It is the same thing every year. The Department says it has places, but it consistently does not have them.”
“Parents have a right to send their children to their local school and the school their children's friends are going to attend. This would not be an issue for so many TDs in north Kildare if it was not a problem. I truly wonder if the GIS could be used to predict a bit better where people are coming from. These schools have been crying out for facilities for years and they are now at breaking point. They need extra classrooms and spaces. The new school in Maynooth is being asked to take an extra 200 children. There are two schools beside each other on the same campus, with 1,000 pupils in each. They are already at capacity. My children - my girls - were meant to go to those secondary schools. They were promised when they were in primary school that the schools would be ready for them.”
“While I appreciate that the Minister is not here, I hope the Minister of State will come back to me on this because it is really frustrating. As a member of the infrastructure committee, it feels as if we criticise every week how upside down the system is. We have so many infrastructural deficits up and down the country. Next week, the committee will have officials from the Central Statistics Office, CSO, in to discuss the use of the census to forecast population and the need for infrastructure. Time and again, I get responses from the Department of Education and Youth mentioning the geographic information system, GIS. I do not believe the system is working because the principals of these secondary schools tell me that they are talking to each other, going through their lists and checking for duplicates.”
“I ask that the Department provide an update on its plans for improving school capacity and facilities in Kildare North in order to accommodate the growing population.”
“Planning permission for a new building was given in 2022, but the work has yet to commence. The school was delighted to see it made the priority list. I understand, however, that this school has been added to the Department's list. The projects to which I refer long overdue and the schools involved have been impacted. One principal told me that there are many issues with the single application system pilot project. The schools involved have had a meeting with the Department of education and expressed their concerns about the scheme's operation. I hope these concerns will be listened to and acted upon for next year in order that some of the issues that have been raised with me will not be repeated.”
“School facilities are another major issue. The Department will be well aware of St. Patrick's national school in Celbridge and the dire straits it is in regarding its premises. The school has been operating in temporary prefabs for the past 18 years. Unbelievably, it did not make the priority list. Other schools are also waiting for facilities and this is contributing to problems. I spoke to Celbridge Community College, which has also been waiting many years for a permanent building. I was told it would be happy to take on more students, but it is simply not feasible in light of its current set-up. This is having a serious impact on students and parents who are really anxious about what will happen in September. The same could be said of St. Mary's in Naas.”
“Some of the lists are staggering. There are 190 students on the waiting list for one school alone, namely Maynooth Community College. Coláiste Chiaráin in Leixlip and Confey College between them have well over 200 children on their waiting lists. One school in Maynooth told me the Department had asked it to take on more students this year, even though it is already oversubscribed. That is really worrying. Parents in deep distress have been in touch with me over this issue. Can you imagine being told your child is as far down as 200 on a waiting list? That could mean that six or seven extra classes would be needed in a school. It is causing anxiety for the families and the children who are worried they might not be able to attend school with their friends and those with whom they were in primary school.”
“The housing crisis bleeds into everything. It has bled into the matter of school places. It used to be the case that where an estate was built, the schools in the area would be informed about it. My mother was a school teacher and principal, and she would have known that her school would be getting so many children from a certain estate when it was built four or five years down the line. That is not the case any more because people are very lucky to be getting their first homes and getting their families well and truly under way. This is putting immense pressure on primary and post-primary schools that are being obliged to cope using the same resources and facilities they have had for decades. Over the past few weeks, I have been in touch with post-primary schools across my constituency about their waiting lists.”
“I understand that the Minister of State is taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Naughton. I appreciate him being here. I am disappointed that the Minister is not here. This matter relates to waiting lists for post-primary school places in north Kildare. This has been a persistent and growing issue in my constituency of Kildare North, which is one of the fastest growing constituencies in the State. Housing estates have been built across Maynooth, Naas, Leixlip, Celbridge, Prosperous and Clane over the past few years. This is really to be welcomed, but it has not been matched by a corresponding level of investment in the infrastructure that is desperately needed to facilitate and support the resultant population growth. School waiting lists in the area are a key indicator of what is happening in this regard..”
“The fines must be imposed and, crucially, recovered in full. As noted by the Teachta who was sitting beside me earlier, the Government has done nothing to ensure that these fines are paid. It has stood idly by in respect of this matter. We should be following the example of the French and ensuring that social media companies are fully held to account. The Government has been sitting on its hands for long enough. We need swift and decisive action to criminalise the distribution of AI images, increase maximum penalties upon conviction and ensure social media companies are held accountable for their complicity in this vile crime against women and children.”
“I am glad there are so many women in my party. Despite his protestations, I have not heard about the gardaí knocking anybody's door down for producing these images. The nonchalant way he was going on there was absolutely disgraceful. Our Bill must amend Coco's Law to criminalise non-consensual intimate images and videos made through the use of AI. It must also increase the maximum penalties of those convicted. It will address the grey area of current legislation. However, this is only one part of the response. Holding the social media companies to account is the other part. This is something that this Government should have done long ago. It should certainly have done this since Christmas. The full extent of the law must be brought to bear on online platforms and service providers that try to flout the rules.”
“Mo bhuíochas leis na Teachtaí Devine agus Carthy as ucht an Bhille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. Cuirim fáilte roimh na daoine atá sa Ghailearaí. There is an urgent need to update Coco's Law. Coco's Law was and still is an important piece of legislation that rightly prosecutes those who share intimate images online or otherwise. Technology moves very quickly. The recent explosion of deep fake sexual images being created on social media platforms, such as X, has shocked many. Elsewhere in Europe, they have been quick to move. Just last week, French prosecutors raided the offices of X as part of their investigation into allegations of spreading child sexual abuse images. In England, the data privacy regulator has opened formal investigations into X's chatbot. We must keep pace. I am quite flabbergasted after the Minister's speech.”
“Any legislation that seeks seriously to address the regulation of the private rental sector would focus on cutting and freezing rents, not allowing them to rise even further. This Bill will not protect renters; it will push them further to the brink. The average length of a private rental tenancy is three and a half years, according to the RTB. Of all tenancies registered in 2025, 25% were first-time tenancies. If this trend continues, within four to six years the vast majority of private renters will be caught by the market reset rule and big landlords and private investors will be laughing all the way to the bank. Again, the question I have to ask the Minister is " Cui bono ?". What is the logic behind such daft legislation? How can he justify these measures at a time when so many people across the board are experiencing hardship?”
“The Minister is calling it a market reset. In fact, it will mean thousands are paying more in rent from 1 March. Whom exactly will this benefit? My constituency of Kildare North has some of the highest rents in the country. The demand for housing, including rental properties, has increased so much because when rents spiral out of control in Dublin, people exchange cheaper rents for longer commuting times. Tenants in County Kildare are paying an average of €1,500 a month. A person would be lucky to get a four-bedroom property in north Kildare for less than €3,000. Rents will increase by 20% on 1 March, which is €300 a month on the average rent price in Kildare. This is the Government's solution to the biggest rental crisis we have faced as a State. Renters are being made to pay to line the pockets of big landlords.”
“This truly is one of the most bizarre Bills I have seen come before the House. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, at a time when families are pinned to their collar by the highest electricity and energy bills and the highest rents in Europe, the Government thinks it a good time to bring forward a Bill that seeks to increase rents even further. Is the Minister aware we are not in a competition here? This is not a race to the bottom. How can anyone see the Bill for anything other than what it is, which is a love letter to the big institutional investors with which Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in bed for many a year? It is Irish renters, families and young people on whom the Government is cheating. This rent hike Bill will allow vulture funds and big landlords to hike up the rents of 60,000 people a year.”
“St. Patrick's national school in Celbridge is at crisis point. It has been promised a new school for 18 years. Parents and teachers have been in touch with me about leaks, rodents and even parts of the school being held together with duct tape. Despite the Minister, Deputy Naughton, visiting the school two weeks ago, it did not make the priority list published the other day. It is completely unfit for anyone to teach or learn in. The Celbridge three school campus has been at planning stage for the past ten years. It is as stage 2a now. St. Patrick's, St. Rachel's and Celbridge Community College are dependent on this campus. The situation is also contributing to longer waiting lists for national schools, which is a new thing for people in Celbridge. When will the campus be delivered? Can appropriate temporary classrooms be provided to St.”
“My constituent should be availing of services in an adequately resourced Lakeview unit beside Naas General Hospital, not behind bars. We desperately need to help these people instead of casting them aside. The Government needs to invest properly in our emergency departments to properly accommodate those who report with unstable mental health. We are letting people down. I appreciate that the Minister of State is not opposing the motion. There is no better Teachta than an Teachta Clarke with whom to work collaboratively.”
“It is big-picture stuff. The housing crisis has contributed massively to the rise in the figures. We cannot talk about mental health without mentioning our housing crisis. People without a home do not feel safe ever. They are constantly on edge and worry they might not make it through the night if sleeping outside. If in an unsafe homeless shelter, they fear for their safety as they try to sleep. Many such people end up in jail instead of being properly treated for a mental health crisis. A constituent of mine in north Kildare who was struggling with homelessness and addiction has been constantly in and out of jail. Jail is not what he needs; he needs mental health services and a home, and that goes for so many people in jail. We hear a lot about the need for more jail space. We need more mental health services as well.”
“I heard the Minister of State’s speech and appreciate its tone but she has to admit that our mental health services are at crisis point. More than 50,000 people with a mental health crisis present annually at emergency departments, yet many hospital emergency departments are simply not equipped to deal with such incidents. That speaks volumes about how the State treats those who are experiencing bouts of chronic depression, schizophrenia or anxiety, to name just a few conditions. In Naas General Hospital, in north Kildare, 1,200 people with mental health difficulties were referred to the emergency room in 2023 alone. That is a staggering figure, pointing to the increased pressure on hospital services due to increasing numbers presenting for emergency care for mental health issues. Mental health conditions do not exist in isolation.”
“These are court-appointed individuals to represent children in legal proceedings. They are meant to be the independent voice of the child but this new legislation could lead to the children's guardians ad litem no longer being independent. The association says this will dilute children's rights and protections and that the Department seems to be unaware of the consequences this may have. The association also says it has not been involved in the shaping of the services for children in any meaningful way and that its main concerns have not been addressed. I ask the Minister to consider these concerns that have been brought forward very capably by our spokesperson on children, Deputy Kerrane, and ensure any reform of the current legislation is robust and includes all stakeholders who have experience in this field.”
“However, many of the findings in that report paint a very bleak and concerning reality of our child protection services. In some cases, it took over six months before referrals to social workers were reviewed, meaning that immediate safeguarding action could not be undertaken and children being allocated to workers who had no child protection or welfare training, or experience. This must be addressed by this new legislation being brought forward. It is also essential the Government brings together stakeholders on the reform of the legislation. The Association for Guardian ad litem Ireland, a group representing advocates for children in child court proceedings, says the Minister has refused to meet with its representatives, having reduced their numbers by a third.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this amendment Bill. It is clear that State protection of children is in serious need of change. There have been too many cases recently that have highlighted Ireland's lack of regard for the rights of children. The HIQA report published in November, in particular, laid bare the alarming failures of basic child protection. There are, of course, so many social workers and social care workers who are overstretched and under huge pressure in so many parts of the State. Clearly, there are serious personnel gaps in these critical services, and the most vulnerable children are suffering as a result. This is wholly unacceptable. We really need to make sure children and families know their social workers so that trust can be build up with them.”
“We need immediate, planned multi-annual investment in our water supply and water infrastructure to ensure that not only will homes be built, but they will be accompanied by the necessary infrastructure.”
“People are really frustrated about this. The quality of life around the country is decreasing, between low water pressure, frequent blackouts and unreliable transport. What will happen to our water infrastructure when the population of Kildare North explodes in the coming years, as it is expected to do? The Government has failed massively to properly plan in areas of north Kildare. Massive property developments are going up with no supporting infrastructure. The pipes are already breaking at the seams according to the reports of repeated leaks, as the population expands. How will our creaking water infrastructure survive the population boom in Kildare North?”
“This is a result of the lack of investment from the Government and Uisce Éireann in our water structure. We have ageing pipes that cannot stand the continuous demand for water in large parts of the constituency. We have ended up in this situation while the Government has ignored our repeated calls to invest in this rotting infrastructure and to provide quality water services to those who need it. However, that has not been the case in so many other parts of my constituency. We have had repeated outages in Leixlip and Maynooth as well, on the Celbridge Road, where the pipe constantly bursts, which is hampering the ability of residents to go about their daily lives. It interferes with cooking, cleaning and other daily essentials. This has repeatedly left people frustrated with the lack of action from the Government.”
“I really welcome the opportunity to speak about Uisce Éireann because we are at a serious crisis point in terms of infrastructure in this country. For years, underinvestment by successive Fianna Fáil- and Fine Gael-led Governments has put us in the situation in which we now find ourselves. In my constituency of Kildare North, water supply and infrastructure are under severe pressure. I have heard from constituents about the low water pressure in parts of Hazelhatch and Celbridge without any warning. Those in the upper floors of apartments had no water at all for years. Since the improvements were made, the upper floors of apartments do not have the proper water pressure. They face particular difficulties at the weekend due to the high demand.”
“A Herbata Limited data centre is set to be built in my constituency in Naas, County Kildare and many constituents have been in touch because they are really worried about this because we have power cuts all over north Kildare and we just cannot keep up.”
“We need the Taoiseach to stand up to Musk and his ilk and ensure this nudification feature on Grok is completely outlawed. We also need to ensure we are not prioritising data centres to facilitate AI taking precedence over new homes, because AI is insatiable when it comes to energy. We are going to need an increasing number of data centres if we have to keep this up. Information obtained by my party colleague Lynn Boylan states that a single data centre in west Dublin consumes enough energy to power 200,000 homes. We have already seen a data centre given priority over a housing development in Castlebaggot. This was meant to be for houses but because of the first-come, first-served model, it was given to data centres.”
“In essence, you can take a photograph of somebody and ask Grok to make fun of that person in increasingly disgusting ways, as Musk put it. That Musk found this hilarious is really worrying. This is the man in charge of an AI revolution on social media, who now says, after a lengthy bout of criticism from all corners of the globe, that Grok will no longer be able to use and edit photographs of real people, including children, to show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where it is illegal. This is nonsense because social media, as we all know, has no borders and can be read across the globe. That feature needs to be disabled completely. How can we trust Elon Musk and this technology going forward? We know he thinks this type of thing is funny, even though it is so damaging to women and young children.”
“I acknowledge and very much welcome the Minister's comments on deregulation. The stories we have heard over the past few weeks in relation to the Grok feature on X have shocked many people here and across the world. The AI element within social media has been encouraged by tech tycoons such as Elon Musk, owner of X. The Grok website features a claim that, as part of X, Grok offers real-time search image generation, trend analysis and more. Musk also claims Grok is now a source of objective information that users use to verify information. We have all seen the Grok "Is it true?" questions on X, but let us be honest, that is not what Musk invented this for. Recently, a clip went viral of Musk speaking about Grok’s ability to do a viral roast of somebody you know recently.”
“Are we really going to be getting back to that? The elderly, children and people with disabilities have repeatedly called on the Government to implement an emergency winter payment to offset the effects of the austerity budget of last year. It is time for the Government and the regulator to tackle this issue head on. The Government should adopt the Sinn Féin proposals and enact our legislation to hold energy companies to account, to reinstate energy credits, to decouple the link between gas and electricity prices and to work towards Irish independence through the roll-out of renewables. This crisis is not inevitable. Solving it is a matter of will and political choice which this Government seems unwilling to make.”
“While it is important that we are weaning people off fossil fuels, it beggars belief that the Government would increase carbon taxes when it is doing very little to switch us to renewable energy, and making that the acceptable and easy choice for households. Households are already on the brink. Over the Christmas period, I had many visitors to my constituency office who could not afford their ever-increasing energy bills. We have heard these stories repeatedly with people choosing between eating and heating and not knowing whether they can afford to throw another log onto the fire during the cold winter and wearing multiple layers. What kind of a society do we live in where we cannot even keep our people warm? I remember when I was growing up you would hear about old age pensioners getting on the bus to keep warm.”
“According to the 2022 census, over 600,000 Irish households use natural gas as their fuel for central heating, up from 550,000 in 2011 – I am one of those users. Yet, last summer, the Government increased the carbon tax again, placing a further burden on thousands of households already struggling with a cost-of-living crisis. Irish households are currently paying €360 a year more than our European counterparts. It is no wonder there are more than 300,000 people in energy arrears. By September 2025, electricity prices were over four times higher than in January 1996. It is scandalous. The people are being totally fleeced by profit-hungry energy companies. Meanwhile, they are faced with a Government that has no desire to stop it and a regulator that has been rendered powerless to do anything about it.”
“We cannot have a situation where the Government drafts a Bill that is intended to increase safety regulation for natural and liquified petroleum gas but ends up creating loopholes for non-domestic installers. These are the kinds of unintended consequences that we may see as a result of this insufficient Bill. Another key issue concerns the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. The CRU has been under-resourced for many years in different areas. Specifically, on the question of natural and liquified petroleum gas, further expertise is required within the CRU to oversee this. That is critical for safety. However, it is also critical that natural and liquefied petroleum gas is more affordable.”
“It is disappointing that after all the time spent on the important reforms to the Electricity Regulation Act, industry representatives feel that engagement with them has been minimal. Concerns have been raised with the Minister on several occasions and have ultimately been ignored. Some of those concerns include the fact that there is no RPL board and no modification secretary, and that the registered gas installers are appointed as the inspection body when their inspectors are not even trained on non-domestic installation. The latest consultation has not been published. There is no transparency. There is a feeling that this whole Bill is being rushed through without the proper safeguards in place. Sinn Féin is, therefore, calling on the Government to address the issues that we and industry experts have been highlighting.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this technical Bill. While my party and I recognise the importance of this Bill, there are still outstanding issues that Sinn Féin and others see with the legislation as it currently stands. It should be said that any Bill that intends to strengthen safety regulation for natural and liquified petroleum gas should be welcomed. It is imperative that we keep with international best practice in relation to safety processes and procedures when it comes to natural and liquified petroleum gas sites. It is clear there is a need for regulatory reform. As it stands, however, this Bill needs more attention. It is noteworthy that the Bill has been ten years in the making.”
“Will the Minister of State commit to a restructure of the PSO levy? Will he show that he is full of the Christmas spirit, as I was when I shared my question?”
“I want to talk about price review 6. Households in Ireland are paying much higher prices - some of the highest prices in Europe - and more and more families are falling into energy poverty and falling behind on their bills. Under price review 6, households and small businesses will be asked to pay even more while the large data centres will be paying less. Household charges could rise by 28% while data centres, which use the most energy, will see their energy prices reduced by 20%. It is just not fair. It is actually egregious. At the same time that energy credits have been taken away from people who are struggling, energy companies that are making huge profits are getting a reduction. One way to ease this pressure would be to change the PSO levy and the network charges so that data centres pay their fair share.”
“Will the Minister of State tell us clearly whether CBAM will push up energy prices? If he cannot answer that question for me today, will he commit to doing an analysis on how CBAM will affect prices for struggling households?”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply. It is really important that this analysis is conducted. We import 70% of our energy. The EU average is 58%, so we are importing a lot more than normal countries. We are also importing more energy from Britain. The introduction of the CBAM will affect the prices that households, consumers and families are paying. The Government said that energy emissions will fall by up to 68% between 2026 and 2030 when compared with 2018, but that figure is misleading because we are relying more and more on imported energy. We do not know where that energy is produced so we cannot pretend the emissions have disappeared. It is a bit of a distortion. For the families who might be listening in, this is not about climate targets; it is about energy bills.”
“The European Commission's 2025 country specific report stated that energy poverty has increased in Ireland and we now have the third highest household or consumer electricity prices in the EU when the add-ons are included. Much of that is down to our reliance on fossil fuels, which makes us susceptible to global price shocks beyond our control. Some 300,000 people are in energy arrears at the moment, with price hikes coming down the road with the PR6. The Minister of State mentioned carbon taxes. It was shown at the Committee of Public Accounts that carbon taxes are not being ring-fenced as was promised. We are meant to be climate neutral by 2050. The Climate Change Advisory Council said that by 2039 we should not be reliant on fossil fuels. How does the Government envision a complete phase-out of fossil fuels in Ireland?”
“What specific accommodation will the Government make to ensure households such as these are not left behind as we transition to a sustainable economy?”
“It is really important we get a just transition. The Minister of State will recall how Sinn Féin tried to get a proper definition of that when we were working on the 2021 climate Act and he and I were on the climate committee. As we move away from fossil fuels and transition to a greener economy, we have to ensure we do not leave anybody behind. The SEAI grants have been made available to people for them to retrofit their homes but it has been shown that tenants and the Travelling community cannot do so. It is not working for them or for people living in older homes. Clare O'Connor from Friends of the Earth was before the climate committee last week. She said those living in the least efficient homes cannot afford to upgrade them.”
“We wish to ask the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment if he intends to implement a socially just phase-out action plan for the replacement of fossil fuels by sustainable energy sources, and if he would make a statement on the matter please.”