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filing their tanks with fuel, with their green diesel, and that has all gone up. They have to spread fertiliser. That has to come through the Strait of Hormuz as well and that will be going up. There is a serious crisis coming at our economy

response to the energy crisis so far amounts to a very expensive, broad-brush set of measures that leave clear gaps and whose modest effect will evaporate quickly if the situation in the Middle East becomes more entrenched. If you reduce fuel taxes, everybody who buys fuel gets

will also get the fuel allowance. Again, the working family payment is right across the country, including in rural Ireland. We have said we will keep the position under review. Were we to adopt Sinn Féin's position and react to every crisis by throwing cash

need practical measures that can help businesses weather crises, including targeted energy supports and measures to ease excessive operating costs, such as spiralling fuel prices. However, any framework must be fair, transparent and focused on protecting workers, families and indigenous enterprise; not simply providing blanket supports without accountability … access to finance and certainty from Government all year round and not just during crises. The Government must move away from ad hoc crisis management and towards a more prepared and strategic approach that gives businesses and workers greater certainty during times of economic instability. I want

ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have not removed a single cent off home heating oil and they and Independent TDs have voted Sinn Féin down eight times this year as we sought to bring down the price of fuel. Every week people

disabled people. It is not a budget for any of us - which is all of us - who will be affected by the climate crisis. Instead, it is a budget for landlords and a budget for big business, which has seen substantial tax cuts. Interestingly, and very concerningly … even introduce a €500 electricity energy credit and certainly refused to introduce any measures to get us away from reliance on fossil fuels. People will be worse off next year as a result of this budget because, as has been outlined, even in the best-case scenario workers

last 20 minutes, or at most maybe once or twice. The most effective way to bring about an end to current pressures on fuel prices is through a de-escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. The disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, through which … international energy markets. Ireland continues to use its diplomatic influence wherever possible but we must recognise our influence alone cannot resolve this crisis. However, that does not mean the Government cannot or will not respond. We have responded and we will continue to do so. As I have

criticisms grow, it is getting harder for the Government to ignore the mounting evidence. We are deeply dependent on imported fossil fuels, emissions reductions are lagging, climate targets are slipping and energy independence is starting to look like another opportunity that has been let slip through the Government … fingers. That is the legacy of this Government. The reality of what people are dealing with in the cost-of-living crisis is that families are being crushed. The balance is not right and Government is completely out of touch. We have the highest electricity prices

doing-business crisis, if she will reverse the reintroduction of leaving certificate and junior certificate fees, and increases in school transport fees; and if she will engage with school transport operators to ensure that they are adequately supported with the increased cost of fuel. [29045/26

crisis emerging, what people would have expected is a Government response that prioritised them and looked to protect them from the worst impact of price shocks. Instead they got a wait-and-see response, and now they get tokenism: on fuel allowance a paltry four-week extension

solving a housing crisis when we see the likes of that. The Minister and the Minister of State are from rural Ireland. The Big Ms will be soon out in about four or five weeks' time. A silage harvester takes 1,000 litres of fuel. It costs between

during periods of economic instability; — sectors such as agriculture, haulage, fisheries, construction, hospitality and small retail are particularly vulnerable to sudden increases in fuel and operating costs, while ordinary households remain exposed to spikes in home heating, electricity and grocery prices; — a proactive national framework for economic resilience … strengthen confidence in the Irish economy and reduce the uncertainty caused by improvised and delayed policy responses; and — fiscal planning must move beyond crisis reaction and towards structured preparedness; and calls on the Government to: — develop and publish a "Fiscal Planning for Economic Certainty Framework", setting out predetermined

week and she bought out of the same list at the same shop as she did the week before. That is the crisis situation we have and that the Government did not take into account. Pensioners will say that they are feeling the pinch. They are afraid … That is nowhere near what they are hitting. They are experiencing savage expense every week when they are out there, especially on fuel and day-to-day costs. They genuinely cannot work and their pension has been stretched to the extreme limit. Am I correct in saying that

living crisis and the energy price hikes, but I will repeat what I said last night: shame on Deputies, some of whom have put forward this motion, for expressing support for Donald Trump and his rotten agenda, which is directly responsible for the energy and fuel price hikes

fuel strikes. Tomorrow, the country will grind to a halt again because of the public service strikes. The Minister, Deputy Chambers's inaction has led to the largest public sector strike in two decades and possibly a winter of discontent. The cost-of-living crisis, which in part

crisis, the Government has taken a lot of measures that I outlined in response to an earlier question, particularly in terms of supporting families and increasing the child support payment by €16 for a child over 12 and €8 for a child under 12; extending the fuel allowance

shrinkflation - the charging of the same prices but with less product. Households across Ireland are having to cope with this cost-of-living crisis - a spike in the cost of living that is affecting every household, individual, family and community. Almost one third of households comprising an adult … went into debt to meet ordinary living expenses last year and one fifth of households struggled to make ends meet. The costs of fuel, rent, housing, food, childcare and basic services are rising. Deputy Nash gave some examples. Another example is coffee. Coffee is now 200% more expensive

society as a result of that war. All of the advice is that you target the resources you are allocating to a crisis of this kind, and that they are temporary measures. It is also to keep in mind that things could get worse over the next number … maintain investment in services like education and health, but that we do our best now to ease the pressure on people. Extending the fuel allowance by four weeks enables us to reduce the pressure on working families, and up to 470,000 families will benefit from that extension

fuel. We rely heavily on home heating oil to heat our homes. You cannot work in Donegal unless you have a car or van to get around. Public transport just is not there. We are uniquely affected. I find it astonishing that we are weeks into this crisis

fuel infrastructure, but rather provide their own renewable energy and contribute towards our efforts to decarbonise our economy and our public services. I will conclude by reiterating that this issue – alleviating the struggle that people are facing with soaring energy costs and the cost-of-living crisis more

soar, hundreds of thousands of customers are in arrears. The Government could spend €100 million a month to cut the price of motor fuel, but provides nothing to keep a storage heater going. At the heart of this budget is a lack of honesty about the challenges … bread and circuses to distract from the lack of action to permanently cut the cost of living and address the crisis in energy prices, incomes and child property across too many homes in this rich country. The Tánaiste that told us that this would be a workers' budget

double the grants for solar panels, introduce a grant for battery storage and make solar panels free for households most at risk of fuel poverty. Finally, please roll out plug-in solar. That is what we need to see, namely, some ambition from this Government instead … usual tinkering around the edges. Does the Tánaiste agree that it is immoral for energy companies to make windfall profits during an energy crisis? Will the Government introduce a windfall tax on their superprofits

been inundated with messages from hundreds of people in Kildare to express their lack of confidence in this Government to handle the current crisis and deliver a decent quality of life for people. The bottom line is that working people are crippled by rising costs and have been … hikes in the next couple of years. Now, it has short-changed households across the State with a set of half measures on fuel costs and a small cut in excise duty that will not make a dent in making fuel affordable for Kildare commuters who are already

choice but because costs have spiralled far beyond what the pension can cover. The cost of heating is up, fuel costs have doubled and the price of everything is climbing up and up. This is not how people imagined their later years. After a lifetime of contribution, they … should not be worrying about whether they can afford to heat their homes, but that is the human reality of this crisis. What did the Government do at the very moment people needed supports? It took them away. Energy credits are gone, scrapped just when the pressure

part of the wider economy and must be supported, and the package for them is also welcome. I acknowledge the extension of the fuel allowance, which will give the most vulnerable families an extra €152. As a state, we are in the fortunate position to be able … Across Europe, governments are facing much harder choices. I know that, like during Covid, the Government will not be found wanting if the crisis continues into the winter. I welcome the Taoiseach's comments on improving energy security in this State, particularly in regard to progressing