Simon Harris

I know you have, but it is not today.

No, no.

It matters.

There are 91-year-olds in the North too.

We will do something.

Hear hear.

I thank the Deputy. The Government has been working round the clock on the very serious situation in the Gulf and the Middle East. We have been working on it from a whole range of aspects, including the economic aspect, which I will get to now in relation to the question. The first and most important thing we have been doing in the here and now is working to protect Irish citizens abroad and to ge…

As do I.

The Deputy may not have been listening to my reply. Let me say it again. Practical action that will help 50,000 more Irish households will take place next week. The Deputy likes to say that this will not matter to anybody, but 50,000 households will qualify next week for assistance with their fuel who do not qualify for it today.

Deputy Cullinane does not need help. Give him a chance. He was picked to do it today. In addition to the 50,000 households, we also took a decision in the budget to reduce the rate of VAT on people's energy bills and keep it there for years ahead. We also took a decision to reduce the public service obligation, PSO, on people's energy, as well as increase the fuel allowance. The Taoiseach, the Gov…

-----any measures that are needed to assist households and deal with price impact.

We will do things in a way. We are five days into a major global conflict.

The Deputy nor Mystic Meg, Lord rest her, could predict where this conflict is going to go. We are working to protect and get our citizens home and seek de-escalation. We are working at a European level to see what further actions are appropriate in terms of energy affordability. That is what a responsible Government does. I wish to let the people watching in at home know that we are acting and we…

Please do not scaremonger them.

It is unfair to the work of the CCPC to call it toothless. Last year, it got six convictions and its first ever criminal conviction. It is a body that can levy fines of up to €10 million. I hope, before the Deputy gets into the litany of his view about what the Government should do, that he will join with us in welcoming the fact that the CCPC, which has significant powers, has opened an urgent in…

Real incomes are rising. The Social Democrats often call for targeted supports. I listened to their proposals. They are not in favour of energy credits for all different people. The Opposition has many different views. The Social Democrats call for targeted supports. Next week, we will bring in a targeted support in which 50,000 households will benefit from a fuel allowance payment for the first t…

We are acting. We did not need a conflict in the Gulf or the Middle East to take action on energy costs in Ireland, which are too high. That is why more people than ever before in the history of the State are eligible for fuel allowance. It is why we have increased the amount of fuel allowance and are bringing the working family payment recipients into it-----

-----for the first time next week and backdating it to 1 January. That is practical action. It is not abstract. There are people tuning in today, whether watching this on their television screens or listening on the radio, who will benefit. A total of 50,000 households in Ireland will benefit next week from a fuel allowance payment-----

-----that they have never benefited from before. Many people in arrears will benefit from the fuel allowance as well. The Government has to look at all of these issues.

It does not.

Deputy Hearne, over-----

Over 400,000 homes qualify for fuel allowance support, which makes up more than a quarter of the homes in the country. That maths just does not add up. More people are qualifying for fuel allowance than are in energy arrears in Ireland, according to the Deputy's own figures he just shared with us. We will continue to work on this situation intensively. I do not doubt anyone's bona fides; we all w…

We have intentions to further strengthen the powers of the CCPC and we look forward to working with people across this House in relation to that. I agree with the Deputy on that point. I also agree with him on there not being a need for a universal energy credit anymore. I agree that TDs do not need energy credits. There are people who need assistance. We can debate this and different parties will…

-----where we have built up financial buffers. That allows the Government to make an informed evidence-based responses in the time ahead. That is exactly what we intend to do. Governments right across Europe are grappling with this. That is why will also have that engagement at a European level, starting with European finance ministers on Monday.

I am extraordinarily conscious of the fact that people at home following this debate and people in workplaces are feeling an extraordinary sense of economic anxiety. However, I also have to make sure we have the best data and best analysis available in terms of the economic impact this conflict may have in our country, on the eurozone and on the global economy. That enables the Government to then …