Cathy Bennett

As I said earlier this week, people understand that the Government is not responsible for the international energy crisis that has emerged. What people hold the Government responsible for in the first instance is the framework it had in place in advance of the crisis. In the second instance, they hold it responsible for its response. I contend that said response has been delayed, minimal and not o…

Sinn Féin voted against Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil’s tax reduction-----

-----because it did not do enough. The Minister of State knows it did not do enough. He is fooling nobody; not the families, farmers or haulage workers. Everybody knows.

The limited resources the Government did introduce via the National Oil Reserves Agency will see the cost of home heating oil reduced by only two cents per litre. Is that a joke? This was wholly inadequate in terms of households reliant on home heating oil in and of itself, but it will also be negatively affected by the Government’s planned increase in carbon tax on 1 May. Why in the name of God d…

Farmers have not seen it.

I asked the Committee of Public Accounts. Farmers have not seen it.

It was not used for farmers. It was put into the central pot.

Look after the most vulnerable.

Cover the data centres.

Did the Government do the 22 cent reduction then?

Did the Government do the 22 cent reduction?

Did the Government do the 22 cent reduction?

Did the Government do the 22 cent reduction?

Did the Government do it?

The people in the Deputy's constituency want it. Did the Government do it? No.

I am sure all the Deputy's constituents are delighted to see-----

Ordinary families and workers understand that the Irish Government is not responsible for international energy crises. Where the frustration lies, however, is that what it is responsible for is Ireland's response, and its response has been lethargic, it is lacklustre and it has not been nearly good enough. Not only is it a delayed response but our starting point is actually worse than it need have…

These are measures that would have meaningfully supported ordinary workers, families and farmers-----

-----but what the Government introduced yesterday did not do so.

The end is nigh.

International Women's Day can and does mean different things to people. For my part, I have always seen value where celebration is productive and furthers the cause, rights or conditions of women or children or our understanding of these. It is also appropriate to reflect on, commemorate and educate people about the women who have gone before us whose contribution to society and our communities ha…

Enough is enough. More than 300,000 people in this State are already in arrears on electricity bills. The Government has already withdrawn energy credits only a few short months ago. It did so on the basis of projected inflation rates that underestimated the actual rate by as much as 50%. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael believe that they could simply declare the cost-of-living crisis finished. In doing …

When?

Hear, hear.

The Minister and Minister of State have admitted that post offices provide vital services in our communities and support local economies. However, there has been a spate of closures in recent years. Over the past decade, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have operated hand in glove together in government. We have seen the closure of more than 250 post offices, predominantly in the rural communities. This …