Níl dabht ar bith go bhfuil níos mó agus níos mó teaghlaigh ar fud an Stáit ag streachailt agus iad ag iarraidh íoc as billí leictreachais agus billí gáis. Ag an am céanna, tá an Rialtas ag caitheamh leis seo mar is go síleann sé go bhfuil géarchéim na gcostas maireachtála thart cheana féin. Tá sé ag diúltú pacáiste costas maireachtála a chur ar fáil i mbuiséad mhí Dheireadh Fómhair. Tá sé ag ullmhú chun na faoisimh fuinnimh atá ansin a bhaint de dhaoine agus iad ag brath go mór orthu. Tá sé sin scannalach. Workers and families are being hammered by rip-off electricity and gas prices. Households have been hit with some of the highest energy costs in Europe, forking out far above what people in other countries are paying. Figures published this morning by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, lay bare the hard realities that folks face. The number of households in arrears on their electricity and gas bills has jumped by 70,000 in the past year. This means that over 300,000 households are behind on their electricity bills and over 175,000 are behind on their gas bills. The Tánaiste should let that sink in for a moment. Today, as the Dáil breaks up for the summer, hundreds of thousands of working families cannot meet the bills for heating and lighting their homes. That is disgraceful. Is it any wonder, particularly when we have seen their bills shoot up by hundreds of euro in recent years? Families simply cannot absorb this type of shock to their finances. Now, the Government's plan is to cancel the energy credits that they so desperately need and have relied on. The Government has dug in and continues to refuse to agree to have a cost-of-living package in October's budget. Those on fixed incomes are at greater risk of poverty and need greater support. This ever-worsening cost-of-living crisis has widened significantly. More families and working people are struggling to get by. Even families with two incomes coming into the house find it harder than ever to keep up with the bills. The out-of-control prices that people are being forced to pay right across the board are pushing households to the brink. They can forget about keeping their heads above water. Many families are wondering how they stop sinking even further. It is not lost on these families that as they are hammered by rip-off prices in respect of electricity and gas, energy companies are recording bumper profits. The ESB recorded operating profits of over €1 billion in 2023, with the figure for last year very close to that again. SSE Airtricity made hundreds of millions of euro in profits in the past two years. These companies are laughing all the way to the bank while working households are being taken for a ride. These are the people the Tánaiste claims to understand. He told the Sunday Independent at the weekend that he understands what working families are going through and that he gets it. If he genuinely got it, he would understand that runaway electricity and gas bills are putting massive pressure on households. If he genuinely got it, he would do something about that. He would understand that the pressure is going to crank up even more in the autumn and winter when families are putting on their heat and lights earlier and leaving them on for longer. The Government's plan to unplug energy credits in the budget will push more and more working families to the brink. How many more households have to go into arrears before it sees there is a need to act? There are 300,000 households unable to pay for their electricity and 175,000 unable to pay their gas bills. Does the Tánaiste really get it? The Government just cannot swan off for the summer break and leave people in the lurch with stress and uncertainty. It needs to introduce a cost-of-living package, continue with energy credits and tell workers and families that it will not cancel the help they rely on to pay these massive energy bills this autumn.
Sentiment score: -0.03
At least we can put that debate to bed; the Tánaiste does not get it. He simply does not get it. The Tánaiste stood there and the unreality-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
The facts are staring the Tánaiste in the face. He talked about what the Government was doing in terms of energy. Did he not see what the commission released today? Does he know how many people are going into further debt or cannot pay their energy bills since January of this year? In four months, it has increased by 63,000 households. That is since this Government came into office. This means that, for the first time, we have 300,000 households that cannot pay their electricity bills and 175,000 that cannot pay to heat their homes with gas. The Tánaiste stands there as if he gets it. He does not. There needs to be a cost-of-living package in this year's budget. The Government needs to introduce energy credits. What the Tánaiste has said here and the signal he has sent to those families who, under this and the previous Governments, cannot pay their bills is that they are on their own.
Sentiment score: 0.07
Energy credits have to be delivered in this year's budget. Otherwise, that is the message the Tánaiste is sending people. There needs to be a cost-of-living package. Yes, we understand there is instability but there was also instability in the last number of years. We have a surplus at this point in time and the Government is happier to provide €186,000 to landlords as a tax credit than actually support people to heat their homes and keep the lights on.
Sentiment score: 0.34
The Government has all the wrong priorities. It should introduce a cost-of-living package-----
Sentiment score: -0.24
-----because what is happening under its watch is nothing but scandalous.
Sentiment score: 0.57
I did not say that.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Is the Tánaiste suggesting the pandemic was not an issue?
Sentiment score: 0.00
Its profits went up 39% in the last four years. Its profits went up.
Sentiment score: 0.44
Its profits went up 39%. The Tánaiste did nothing about it. He did nothing about it because he has no answer.
Sentiment score: 0.05
The Tánaiste has no answer. Pathetic.
Sentiment score: -0.43
That is disgraceful. That is scandalous.
Sentiment score: -0.26
Scandalous.
Sentiment score: -0.53
That is a slur on Deputy Conway-Walsh and this Chair.
Sentiment score: 0.00
That is disgraceful, calling the integrity of a Member of this House into question.
Sentiment score: 0.38
The Tánaiste should withdraw that comment.
Sentiment score: 0.00
That is a disgraceful comment against Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----who is not here to defend herself. It is an absolute slur. It is a cheap stunt because the Tánaiste does not want to answer the questions.
Sentiment score: -0.02