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highest such figure ever, and it happened at the peak of the cost-of-living crisis. In 2024, carbon tax reached €1 billion for the first time. It is now the largest fuel tax in the country, and it is going to increase for every year … this oil before the crisis in Iran. Again, according to academics, a fill of home heating oil could actually top out at €2,000 in this particular situation. Incredibly, the Government will be quids in from this increase in the price of fuel. Not only are families being

homes, travelling to work and meeting other essential household expenses. Such is the scale of the energy crisis and the cost-of-living crisis more broadly that we now have more than half a million gas and electricity accounts in arrears. The pressures are very real … Deputies are seeking to subsidise indefinitely in this motion. The existence of a cost-of-living crisis does not remove the need to address Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels. The experience of recent years has demonstrated why reducing that dependence should be an economic and social priority

choked with traffic, we have some of the highest asthma rates in Europe and in a cost of living crisis, households are spending a fortune on fuel and car costs because they have no other choice. There is endless outrage in this House expressed about bike sheds, particularly

fuel allowance need to be looked at. A number of people have contacted me recently in relation to fuel allowance, who, as a consequence of the housing crisis, are no longer eligible. Their adult children may have got an eviction notice and had to move back into

granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide emergency powers for the temporary reduction of mineral oil tax on certain fuels including home heating oil (kerosene used other than as a propellent), petrol and auto-diesel (heavy oil used as a propellent) and green diesel (marked … emergency legislation and give some relief to hard-pressed people who are absolutely burdened by a cost-of-living crisis and are suffering under immense pressure because of fuel prices that are out of control

driver pays €60 for petrol or diesel, this Government takes roughly €40 off that so before the crisis hit, Ireland had some of the highest fuel costs in all of Europe. The Government could have chosen to deliver the maximum excise cut possible on diesel and petrol … chose to short-change people basically - to give with one hand and take it back with the other. Four weeks into the crisis, it only acted after a lot of relentless pressure from Sinn Féin and a very angry public that is desperately crying out for support

provides flexibility for the Minister also to increase or decrease the supports depending on the situation in terms of wholesale fuel costs or the cost-of-living crisis that people are suffering from. This is a responsible course of action from this party. The Minister talked about back … time of crisis. That is the reality of what the Government is doing. As Deputy Gould said, we are three weeks into this crisis and still the Government does not have a plan. We listen to the Tánaiste and he says we are going to do something. Something

target resources where they are needed most. Crucially, this would build resilience and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. That is absolutely essential for tackling the cost-of-living crisis and preparing us for the next one, and for helping us to meet our climate targets. Unfortunately, this

anywhere near the kind of intervention needed in our society at present, in light of the current crisis and illegal war in the Middle East and the ensuing increase in fuel and energy costs but also in light of the broader context of increasing energy poverty … increasing cost-of-living crisis. It does precious little for households across the State but many of these crises are being felt particularly in rural communities. The dependence on diesel and petrol for transport is more pronounced in many of these communities, and there is a particular dependence

centre of that. The Council has acknowledged as much. When fossil fuel prices spike, Europe suffers. We remain far too exposed to forces we cannot control. We have a huge challenge and crisis at the minute, but we have to take this as an opportunity to move from … volatility to stability. Ireland cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels and hope for that stability. That is not a strategy; it is a risk. Other speakers have spoken about how this is a risk we can do something about. We are not short of resources. Rather

Iran launched by Trump and Netanyahu is now in its fourth week. Households across the country are reeling from the energy crisis. Petrol and diesel prices are now well over €2 per litre and those reliant on home heating oil are particularly badly affected. They are facing massive … seek an end to the war? Will he ensure that struggling households are really supported through this crisis and that we now move urgently to end our reliance on fossil fuels

most in the history of the State and in the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis. Just when people were suffering significantly in regard to the cost of fuel, the Government reached into their pockets and took more money out of them. It is very important

everybody else who relies on petrol and diesel and who are paying extortionate prices during this time of crisis. Will the Tánaiste finally listen, see sense and actually cut fuel prices to affordable levels at the pumps

power and for water-hungry data centres. The 19th century industrial revolution turbocharged the burning of fossil fuels for profit, ultimately laying the basis for the climate crisis. The AI revolution is doubling down on that, accelerating climate collapse. Donald Trump told the World Economic Forum last year

Ireland in recent weeks, it was the hauliers who were at the cutting edge of the crisis along with the agricultural sector. They raised the alarm early about the spiralling fuel costs and the growing pressures facing families, businesses and workers alike. I raised this in the Chamber … communities. They are also highly fuel intensive by nature, which means they have been among the sectors hardest hit by the rising energy costs. The Labour Party has called for and welcomed the supports to keep exposed sectors operating during this crisis, including support for hauliers

Dublin North-West. These price hikes will have a seriously negative impact on families in this cost-of-living crisis. Particularly now with the high cost of fuel, many of my constituents are becoming more dependent on public transport. There has been an overhaul of the provision

been contacting me each week in shock at the huge jump in the price of home-heating oil and fuel for their vehicles. Seven months into the crisis and, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents have still not removed a single cent of excise or carbon

year under the rent-a-room scheme without it affecting their eligibility for the fuel allowance. In the context of the housing crisis, the Taoiseach and I know of many cases where adult children have had to move back in with their elderly parents. It is unfair that

respond to the climate crisis and the cost-of-living and fuel crises, we need to rapidly roll out as much public transport as quickly as is possible. That is not what is currently happening. Dublin Bus is sitting on 50 new electric buses. They are expensive

facing a global crisis in the supply and the cost of fuel. This is the reality here in the Chamber. The situation in Iran is unpredictable. Nobody knows. It is global. The Government did introduce the package aimed at easing the impact of the cost-of-living increases

have a deep energy crisis in this country with the price of fuel skyrocketing. We need a debate. We need the Ministers for energy and Finance before the Dáil. The seriousness of it surely evident in everybody's constituency. It surely is in mine. People are in desperate

aware that families are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis. Between spiralling rents, mortgages, energy, food and fuel, the list of ever-increasing bills is growing longer and longer. Each bill puts further pressure and stress on working families. When it comes to their children's education

farmers, agricultural contractors, hauliers, tradespeople and businesses are facing renewed and significant increases in the cost of fuel and energy, adding further pressure to an already severe cost-of-living crisis; — petrol and diesel are essential rather than discretionary expenses for hundreds of thousands of people, particularly … control, rather than accepting permanently higher fuel prices as inevitable or as a "new normal". I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. Everyone knows there is a war and there are crises in different countries. When you have a crisis, you have to try to protect

with a total of €1.3 billion available. That is the reality. Since the beginning of this crisis, the Government has deferred the 1 May carbon tax increase on home heating fuels. It has not reduced it but has deferred it. It has reduced excise duty on diesel, petrol … this crisis, the Government was already acting to protect households with changes that were made in budget 2026, such as an extension until 2030 of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity bills, enhanced social protection payments and an increase in the fuel allowance

redirected to other areas. It should be allocated to, and spent on, fuel support. The fuel support scheme was flawed. It was only a sticking plaster on a major crisis. The Minister should have reduced the price of green diesel at the pump and that is what should … start of this crisis, which was brought on by the war in Iran. In the budget, the Government needs to provide €30 million to co-finance the EU fertiliser support scheme of €15 million. We should not take money from the fuel support scheme to co-finance fertiliser