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depending on what day it is and where in the country you live. The Government's response has been tokenistic: a short fuel allowance extension that will be wiped out by rising prices and a measly 2 cent reduction on heating oil. The Taoiseach's response yesterday during … home heating oil and delivered real relief but once again chose not to act. This crisis is hitting those who produce in our economy. Fishermen and other primary producers face soaring fuel costs without any meaningful support. The impact spreads through coastal and rural communities. When coastal

homes across the State. For this Government, the cost-of-living crisis is only something it trots out and acknowledges in the run-up to an election. With no election on the horizon, we see fuel taxes going up, college fees going up and energy prices increasing

hands. The cost-of-living crisis for families is devastating as a result. On top of that, we now have the illegal Israeli-US war on Iran. This has sent energy prices, including those for petrol, other fuels and home heating oil, through the roof. These increased costs … budget was predicated on a 2% inflation rate, and that rate was already being exceeded before the current crisis. Before the current crisis as well, we had 319,000 families in arrears with their electricity bills and 185,000 in arrears with their gas bills, and thousands more

function. The vast majority of that energy is still in the form of fossil fuels. So many households are still dependent on fossil fuels, and there is no better example of that than home-heating oil. As a result of this reliance on imports … blown energy crisis and an accelerating cost-of-living crisis and all of that is happening against the backdrop of climate breakdown brought about by the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from the combustion of fossil fuels. Extreme weather patterns, the collapse of ecosystems, rising

trying to get people off fossil fuels, but the reality is they have no option but to drive vehicles that run on those fuels. There are not enough incentives to drive EVs. In all the new housing estates, for example, the current policy … dichotomy - trying to help people out during the current crisis, because it is a global crisis. It is not either-or. If we are trying to wean people off fossil fuels, we are going about it the wrong way by increasing public transport prices and having ghost buses

changes the Government is going to make, particularly the extension of the fuel allowance, we are giving with one hand and taking away with the other. At the start of this crisis, the price of diesel was €1.80 a litre. Today in Circle … fact, it is a tax, as the name suggests. He must be intoxicated by the leather of the ministerial car whose fuel he does not have to pay for because that is how far removed from reality the Government is. The reality is that people going to work

thank the Deputy for his question. When we saw the huge volatility and the energy crisis that resulted from events in the Middle East, we introduced unprecedented supports. We expanded the fuel allowance for an additional four weeks, which provided some comfort for those who use home heating

plan next week. It is anticipated that this plan will focus not only on short-term crisis support but also on structural measures to reduce EU dependency on imported synthetic fossil fuel-based fertilisers. Turning to Deputy Aindrias Moynihan’s point, there definitely is not just a short

cost-of-living crisis, whether the Government acknowledges it or not. That cost-of-living crisis is very real. The Government's energy affordability taskforce has advised that the cost of fuel would increase by €321. This does not even touch sides of that. Do not take

Éirinn faoi láthair. Tá daoine ag fulaingt agus faoi bhrú mór. The cost-of-living crisis is raging and, instead of helping the students and their parents, the Government is adding fuel to the fire. The hike proposed nine days ago sent real fear throughout households that fees

producers and jobs and employment. A total of 80% of our flour is coming from Britain, as the Minister knows. During the crisis with the beast from the east, the freak freeze, we almost ran out of flour and bread. The total cereal production in the State, while … understand that. In terms of costs and that, the costs of fertiliser and fuel have increased. We are very vulnerable in terms of our food security. We are only three days away from a crisis at any time. This is a real opportunity for farmers and for jobs

harvest a field without diesel. A haulier cannot deliver goods around the country without fuel. Have the fishermen of the country been factored in when it comes to these increases and the crisis we have at the moment? They have told me that they are in a dire … homes with the only means available to them. Our farmers and agricultural contractors need action now. Some €85 million was allocated for agricultural fuel support. According to the figures in our motion, only around €26 million has been claimed. Leave the balance where it belongs. That money

last number of weeks, although it has got worse for families and fuel prices have gone up. In the budget last year, the Government had an opportunity to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, but it did nothing for families. Of course, before the election – people could … however, all of those supports disappeared like snow off a ditch. People were left with rising bills, not just in the context of fuel prices, but with food prices and insurance costs too. Almost every cost families have is increasing, leaving them unable to pay the bills

with rising energy bills. These are practical steps and they will make a real difference. I welcome the additional four weeks on the fuel allowance, which will make a huge difference to families right across the country. We must also recognise the targeted supports for key sectors … targeted measures to reduce fuel prices for households and businesses, with additional supports for key sectors of the Irish economy, are being introduced and may be adjusted as the situation evolves. This is an evolving situation and has been since the crisis broke a couple of weeks

crisis. I am conscious that when we are talking about a cost-of-living crisis, it is rents, mortgages, groceries, insurance and across the board, but it is also the cost of fuel - petrol, diesel, home heating oil and all of the other fuels. All the Minister … doing in this financial resolution is extend the temporary reductions. It is the same with the carbon taxes on solid fuel, which he is suspending until 2027. That is not going to be enough. We will take petrol and diesel first. There are pumps today, as I stand

circumstances continue. Incredibly, we are seven months into this crisis and the Government has done nothing to help these vulnerable households. Not a single cent has been lifted off excise duty or carbon tax. I appreciate that the fuel allowance is intended to support those most in need

position to respond, and do so quickly, if this energy crisis continues through the winter. I had a very good discussion with Deputy Colm Burke earlier around the fuel allowance and the living alone allowance. I am going to be particularly focused on the living alone allowance because

cost-of-living crisis is putting massive pressure on workers and their families. Everything they buy and use, including their rent, fuel, food and meals continues to increase leaving workers unable to make ends meet. The dream that is sold to young people, that if they stay

months of April and May will be very different from an energy crisis in the months of October, November and December. We have to prepare for that period too. The fuel allowance is being provided to 470,000 households. I do not know the circumstances of the pensioner

beart faoi na táillí seasta iomarcacha ach níl dada sa cháinaisnéis seo faoi sin. The same failure can be seen in relation to fuel. A fill of home heating oil, and I have told the Minister many times, is now over €700 dearer than … acknowledged time and again that reductions in fuel prices help reduce inflation because, when diesel prices rise, transport and business costs and food prices rise, and eventually that bill lands with workers and families. Behind today's crisis is also a deeper failure. For years now, we have

increase in fuel costs. Sinn Féin’s motion on fuel prices fails to mention that fact. This is an enormous challenge, not just for Ireland, but for every country around the world facing into the energy crisis. It is the Government’s job to strike an appropriate balance … fair to say that the measures taken by the Government are to support the sectors most adversely affected and those at risk of fuel poverty. Public funds are not infinite, nor should they be spent on uncosted general measures as Sinn Féin has suggested in its motion

general. Pulling back from any serious efforts, giving up and abandoning to a significant extent attempts to deal with the climate and biodiversity crisis is another one of those pretty pathetic submissions to the Trump agenda. You can look at what Trump's warmongering has now done … people who profit from the destruction of the environment. That means the fossil fuel companies, the data centres and the people who are actually holding up the addressing of the climate and biodiversity crisis or, worse, profiting from it. We need to actively encourage people to buy into

objectives that need to be achieved as well. One of the main objectives is fuel and energy affordability and security for families. That has been ignored, which is why we had the big crisis that led to the omnishambles last week on the streets of our country. That

Minister that people across the State are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. The cost of the weekly shop, the cost of utilities, the cost of rent and the cost of fuel are all rising, with little to no support offered in the most recent budget

adopt Labour’s proposal to slap a windfall tax on the big corporations and data centres that are profiteering during this energy crisis. That tax could have funded targeted energy credits for households struggling to pay bills. We have set out that plan in detail to help … continuing to subsidise fossil fuels. On the other, it is making it more expensive to use public transport. It is not helping households to reduce either transport or energy bills. It has no ambition on climate. Its strategy for tackling the energy crisis, like its national economic strategy