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will have some sort of road to Damascus conversion is complete fantasy. This is Alice in Wonderland stuff. The cost-of-living crisis goes far beyond the price at the pump. The ever-increasing cost of housing, groceries, childcare and electricity has made paying for the basics … carers who is struggling on a social welfare payment because, unfortunately, my husband lost his sight. I'm not entitled to fuel allowance because I have adult children still living at home. I'm not even entitled to a primary medical certificate because blind people are exempt

Ukraine was a huge factor. The problem with fossil fuels is that it they are coming from areas where there is conflict. We had a huge problem with Russia invading Ukraine. There was a huge energy crisis because Europe decided, correctly, to eliminate its dependency on Russian … Deputy Malcolm Byrne raised. Again, that is under consideration between the Departments and we will come back to that. Deputy Cummins raised fossil fuels and I have said what she said herself, namely, that it has to be a catalyst to more renewables. When I say we need

imperial oil war in the Middle East being waged by the USA and Israel, we already had a cost-of-living crisis. We are now really in a difficult situation. In County Laois the lowest price for road diesel is €2.10 per litre and it continues to increase … price. Of course, once fuel goes up, everything goes up, including all other goods. There are higher costs for agriculture, haulage, couriers and carriage. Hauliers are exposed. Truckers and hauliers are under severe pressure and need assistance to get through the current crisis. Today the Irish Road Haulage

amendments, people have been left behind, people on solid fuels. Energy poverty is spiralling. We need an all-Ireland strategy on it or we will never get to grips with air pollution. It is a public health crisis. Over 1,600 premature deaths, as was mentioned … Importantly it does not capture the households the length and breadth of the country that have no other option than to use solid fuels but have been hit by price hikes since the introduction of the carbon tax. In the past week in particular, we have seen

rise, even if those increases barely keep pace with the cost of living. We are in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. Families are struggling to afford groceries, childcare, energy bills and housing. Yet instead of easing the tax burden, the budget leaves them exposed … just statistic; it is a crisis. In west Cork and across rural Ireland, people rely on their cars. Public transport is limited or non-existent. Parents drive long distances to schools. Workers commute to towns. Farmers depend on fuel to run machinery. These are not luxuries; they

heaped on families already reeling from a cost-of-living crisis and it must be abolished. It unfairly penalises working people rather than the big corporate polluters and drives families and vulnerable people deeper into fuel and energy poverty. The major polluters must be made to pay, including

where are the bold, tangible commitments to climate action - the existential crisis of our time - so that clean and cheap energy can be for the many and not for the few and so that everybody's fuel bills can be permanently lowered? It is shameful that today this

Government is putting them into debt. It collected €4.1 billion in fuel taxes last year, which is the highest ever level in the history of the State, in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. Carbon taxes are topping out at €1 billion

fuels scheduled to increase on 14 October 2026, this will now be deferred until 1 May 2027. The decisions taken by the Government in the past few days provide certainty for households and businesses coming into the winter. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, we have … important part of our climate action strategy. The decision to reduce the carbon tax on kerosene pauses budget increases on auto fuels and other increases has not been taken lightly. The carbon tax trajectory provides incentives to industry to decarbonise by virtue of the certainty. In light

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 … regulator that has been rendered powerless to do anything about it. 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

trust and relationships. This is about addressing the financial crisis that people are in. I accept we have our own issues here, where health meets housing meets the cost of living and the cost of fuel. The EU can facilitate us and we can work alongside each other

Fine Gael's policies, they are fuelling the cost-of-living crisis because there are solutions at their fingertips, but they are choosing to ignore them. At a time when Irish motorists pay the third-highest fuel prices in the EU, the Government increased the carbon tax again

goes. I can recall that during the energy crisis, the proposals she came up with would have undermined our financial credibility and would have been a boon to the oil companies and the fossil fuel companies

projects; — the Irish economy is facing its second fossil fuel shock in less than half a decade; — fossil fuel dependence, especially imported fossil fuels, is a major economic vulnerability; — analytical work will be undertaken by the Department of Finance, to set out the key macroeconomic principles that should … Budget 2026 measures, households lost disposable income, with low-income households hit hardest; — despite clear evidence of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the Government withdrew cost of living supports, including energy credits; — people with disabilities have been hard hit by the Government's callous decision to withdraw

income households hit hardest; — the illegal war launched by the United States of America and Israel against Iran, has created an energy crisis that has already led to increased inflation, with further price rises still to come on energy, food and other commodities; — the energy sector is reaping … consumer spending in food services data shows that 60 per cent of the benefit goes to fast food outlets and hotels; — sectoral fuel supports and cuts to Excise Duty have been introduced by the Government, which includes changes to the Diesel Rebate Scheme that were backdated to January

Reserves Agency, NORA, levy is another tax on fuel and it goes into the climate action fund. Since 2020, the climate action fund has been in surplus by almost €300 million. Since the start of this crisis the Government has been misleading us all. It is time

welcome across the House for the expansion of supports for people who depend on the State for their income. The extension of the fuel allowance by a number of weeks is welcome while the inclusion of other cohorts of society in the scheme has been welcomed by everybody … people who are caught in the middle are the problem. We know for people on higher salaries that the cost-of-living crisis and the increases in energy bills are, dare I say it, inconveniences - things they would prefer not to see but things that, by and large

industry is in crisis and has been under pressure for many years. There is a level of deterioration. The Minister of State knows the European Commission can approve a derogation from state aid rules. It has done so for the vessel fuel supports and in many other cases … financial assistance can be provided. If that means declaring an emergency and owning up to the fact that the fisheries sector is in crisis, then let us do that

diesel rebate scheme and the fuel allowance extension, are targeted, while others are more broad reaching, such as the excise rate reductions. As we have stated previously, no government can entirely eliminate the impacts of such a broad-reaching crisis. It is also important to again emphasise … temporary excise rate reductions for petrol, diesel, green diesel and the deferral of the planned 1 May carbon tax increase for mineral oil fuels. Sections 3 and 4 relate to the deferral of the planned 1 May carbon tax increase for natural gas and solid fuels. I will

into a winter dominated by the cost of living crisis. Inflation is running at 3.7%. Petrol and diesel prices have increased day by day, with forecourts displaying prices of €2.14 per litre and upwards. Electricity, gas and other fuels are up 8.5% while rents increased 9.1% alone

investing so much in a large piece of expensive infrastructure when our national policy is that we do not want to use this fuel any more. This Bill is a clear effort to undermine and weaken our climate law, in combination with the other three Bills I referred … passionately believe in energy security for this country. I remember my parents talking to me about the late 1970s and the oil crisis in that period. Four times in my time in Dáil Éireann, our country has been struck by dramatic energy security incidents, generated by the wars

their energy bills, during a homelessness crisis with over 5,000 children in shelters and bed and breakfasts, and when small businesses in rural Ireland see their livelihoods slipping away due to high energy costs and fuel hikes. This is the time to support the people. With billions

becoming more regular due to irrational, unpredictable and, quite frankly, dangerous leadership among the big powers. The world's reliance on fossil fuels has become the source of global conflict. The ultimate impact of this is not only that it causes deaths in those regions where the wars … elsewhere in the world. In this country, we have reacted to the Russia-Ukraine war, to this current conflict and to the Covid crisis by introducing a suite or basket of emergency measures which are then subject to debate, controversy and discussion across this House. There are commonalities

transport operators, until the middle of this year. It also implements cuts to mineral oil tax rates on petrol, auto diesel and other fuels until July, while postponing further carbon component increases until October but these steps are not enough and they offer modest short-term respite … companies and agri-contractors. That is what I am concerned about. These steps represent a wholly inadequate response to a deep and sustained crisis. I stood with agri-contractors, hauliers, and construction workers on the lines in my constituency during the protests. I found it remarkable that there

work, and farmers' costs are spiking at a time when their produce prices are falling. At the heart of this crisis are Government taxes, and no other political party is calling this out. For sure, the war in Iran has significantly accelerated the hardship, but the Government … billion in fuel taxes in 2024. Carbon taxes are at a record level, topping out at €1 billion. Even today, the Government's plans are to raise carbon tax on 1 May. That is a savagely damaging policy against the people of Ireland. In this crisis, the Government