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conflict in the Middle East and the global energy crisis have created major challenges for economies around the world. The Government fully understands the significant pressure rising costs are placing on so many families, workers and businesses across our country. All Deputies in this House are listening … more than €700 million of support has now been made available to workers, households, businesses and the sectors most exposed to the increased fuel prices. Following specific engagement we have provided supports in transport and agriculture but, unlike what Deputy Bacik said, the majority of workers across

health services, educational services and community infrastructure. It does not serve local communities because the longer a system drags on, the more it fuels frustration, misinformation and fear, and it creates an environment in which bad actors can exploit legitimate public concerns. This is not good for Ireland … consistent, fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure across the EU, not just in ordinary times but also in periods of migratory pressure and crisis. Ireland has opted in to key elements of the pact. That was the right decision because a common system across the EU ensures applicants

meeting; it was a cry for help. Farmers came from every corner of the country to say clearly that Irish tillage is in crisis. To his credit, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, attended that meeting. He heard directly from farmers about the fault lines that threaten the future … tillage and want to stay working in it. Right now, growers are sowing winter crops and paying for expensive seed, sprays, fertiliser, fuel and machinery. They are making major commercial commitments, even as many are still waiting to be paid for grain harvested weeks ago. It all adds

home heating oil and the cost of filling the car just to get to work. For many working families, the cost-of-living crisis has not gone away. It is still there week after week, bill after bill. When international events drive up energy prices, it is ordinary … honest about solutions. Our conversation must be solution-focused; not rhetoric but real action. While Sinn Féin's motion focuses heavily on reducing fuel taxes, Labour believes the most effective response is targeted support for households that are struggling the most. Labour has set out practical measures that

what was coming across was Government inaction and dithering and the Government not taking action to help ordinary workers and families. When heating fuel costs skyrocket, it is not an inconvenience for ordinary people. Rather, it is profound. It is an immediate strain on already stretched household budgets … euro more every time the tank runs low. Irish people were already paying some of the highest prices in Europe before this crisis. We are nearly three weeks into the crisis now and what is it that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the supporting Independents can come

this a government of climate deniers? Has the Government just given up any pretence of trying to deal with the climate crisis? We are due to reach a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 23% rather than 51%. We are not going to reach one third … done. It seems that it is just a case of let rip. The super rich globally have allowed investment by banks in fossil fuels to increase. Some of the Taoiseach's own Deputies are profiting from AI, but he cannot continue to worship AI and data centres

working families. They are not going to be able to pay their heating bills. They are not going to be able to put fuel in the car or heating oil in the tank. Those were the conversations that I had on the picket line time and again with … inflation. The Government needs to support public sector workers, fully recognise the work they do and protect them in this cost-of-living crisis, which is deeply affecting so many of them

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 … Middle East. This is contributing to a deeply uncertain global picture. No government can totally shield its country against the worst global energy crisis we have seen since the 1970s. For a small, highly open economy and, importantly, a net importer of energy, this situation presents a particular

working family payment they can now benefit from the fuel allowance payment, which is up to around €1,000 during the fuel season. In terms of the actual amendment, the USC yield was €5.7 billion in 2024. It has a yield of €5.6 billion forecast … would mean around 63% of taxpayer units would not be liable for the USC at all. Deputies will recall that during the economic crisis, it reached a point where 45% of all income earners were exempt from income tax. So, we would be going much higher in terms

asks, "What can we do about the cost-of-living crisis?" The Government created the aspect of the cost-of-living crisis that relates to tolls. It was Fianna Fáil that brought in the public-private partnerships back in the 2000s in the years of the Celtic tiger … service is not working in the same way as it used to. They have been pushed back into paying higher costs of fuel and we can see that the traffic in Dublin now is absolutely diabolical. It has got worse and there is gridlock. People are forced

thank the Deputy. As he is aware, the fuel allowance is paid to 26% of households across the country and that increase of €5 will take place next year. We have also tried to take the measures we can at a cost of close to €1.4 billion, which … everybody's need. It cannot be. It is more than comparable European countries, but we cannot meet every measure of this extraordinary energy crisis created by the war in the Middle East

because of the war in the Middle East. It is because of rising fuel costs." However, it is not rising fuel costs that are causing rents to rise by 10% a year. That was the Government's decision to allow the rents to rise at local authority level … paying for it. They are paying through higher energy bills, rents, bank fees, insurance premiums and food costs. During the cost-of-living crisis, profiteering and price gouging are going on and we have seen an absolute failure of the Government to tackle that. There are other things

working family payment was generally designed with low-income workers in mind. They are now included in the fuel allowance, which I think is a significant targeted measure by the Government, and the correct one. It is a framework that exists already. This package is about €250 million … said earlier, we have to think ahead in terms of other potential challenges that may come our way in respect of this crisis. It is now only March. We need to be cautious, notwithstanding the pressures that are on people and will manifest themselves in other parts

crisis finished. In doing so, they placed the State and ordinary workers and families in the worst position to respond to the worsening crisis. The most substantive related action taken by Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and their so-called Independent supporters has been to increase the carbon … even commend him if he were to do so. Sinn Féin's motion tonight calls on the Government to immediately intervene to reduce fuel prices and scrap planned tax increases on home heating oil. If Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael refuse to support this motion

more widely in relation to excise reductions. The European Commission's AccelerateEU communication addresses the EU's rising energy costs and volatile fossil fuel markets and aims to accelerate the clean energy transition and strengthen EU energy resilience. While the communication notes member states may take domestic measures … prices at the time could not be sufficiently achieved by member states individually. It continues to be our view that tackling the energy crisis in a co-ordinated way between EU member states is preferable, given the interconnectedness of EU energy markets. Governments across Europe are rightly attentive

good and the true cost is being paid by hard-pressed families and households, people who are toiling through a cost-of-living crisis and who saw the budget come and go last week with, it has to be said, almost no reprieve or relief for them … profits last year. I am reading this from a script because it has to be read into the record. Pushing more households into fuel poverty is a high price to pay for what is clearly the hoarding of wealth by energy companies. Yesterday and today, the Taoiseach

enough for the people of Cork and certainly does not go far enough for the people of Cork North-Central. Regarding the housing crisis and the housing emergency we are in, this Government says it will build 300,000 houses by 2030. That may sound good but where … been addressed in this document. The Government has not addressed the cost of living either. We all accept that everything, from fuel to food, is getting more expensive but this Government is doing nothing. It will say in the programme for Government that it will increase

from these pressures? There has already been a very significant response. We have strengthened supports for people on lower incomes, including through the fuel allowance, and we have invested substantially in energy efficiency and retrofitting. Those measures are important because we should not simply be dealing with high … appropriate point at which to consider the full package of measures, including taxation, energy costs, income supports and the cost-of-living crisis. We should look at the evidence and ensure that whatever measures are introduced are targeted towards the people who are experiencing the greatest pressure, including

average Irish family farm income was just €31,000. For many small farms, it is far less. Input costs - fertiliser, feed and fuel - have all skyrocketed, and are up 40% since 2020 while CAP payments have barely budged. What about the young farmers, the next generation … young farmer payment. Is it any wonder that young farmers say they do not believe that EU rhetoric matches the reality of the crisis? Regarding nature restoration, Brussels has highlighted time and again that there are food security issues

filled that can mean finding a significant amount of money at one time. This is a very real cost-of-living crisis. We all know that household finances remain under enormous pressure. The latest CSO figures show that 8.3% of households with utility bills had fallen into arrears … support households through periods of exceptional pressure. There has already been a substantial Government response. In budget 2026, the weekly rate of the fuel allowance was increased and the qualifying criteria were extended. There has also been record investment in home energy upgrades and retrofitting, with €558 million

current agreement was expiring. As SIPTU general secretary John King has said: "Public sector workers have carried this country through crisis after crisis. They deserve fair pay, respect and meaningful engagement ..." Did the Minister forget about public sector workers or is this in keeping with this Government … hands of Supermac's and Burger King. Earlier in the year, the Minister announced measures to support sectors vulnerable to fuel hikes but nothing for the 500,000 households now in arrears on their electricity bills. The Minister must now reckon with the political choices he has made

This crisis began at a time when households across the State were already bearing the brunt of a severe cost-of-living crisis, with 320,000 households in arrears on their energy bills, having been totally abandoned by the Government in the last budget. The half-measures announced … cent per litre. It has not gone unnoticed that those in rural communities, farmers and households who rely on home heating oil and fuel for farming or to get from A to B have in particular been failed by the Government and thrown to the wolves when

European level. As the Deputy is aware, the European Commission's AccelerateEU communication addresses the EU's rising energy costs and volatile fossil fuel markets and aims to accelerate the clean energy transition and strengthen EU energy resilience. While the communication notes member states may take domestic measures … time could not be sufficiently achieved by member states individually. It continues to be the Government's view that tackling the energy crisis in a co-ordinated way between EU member states is preferable, given the interconnectedness of EU energy markets. We will continue to engage constructively with

viability. We need to see stronger EU action against non-EU states that continue flagrant overfishing of shared stocks, which has created this crisis in fish stocks. In the past five years alone, more than 1 million tonnes above the scientifically advised mackerel quota has been caught … next two years. It is a priority because as we capture more electricity to decarbonise our economy and move away from fossil fuels, we need to develop a pipeline of projects to ensure we continue to attract the large amount of foreign direct investment and attract the large

trade opportunities that would ultimately benefit consumers and reduce costs right across Europe. We often talk here about the cost-of-living crisis and the impact it is having on people's ability to carry on with a normal life, but the European Union is the tool that … have to be really careful there because we do not know how bad this can get. We do not know how expensive fuels and energy can become, so we really have to take every measure possible to, first, secure our own energy independence and then simultaneously ensure that