Aontaím leis an Teachta O'Callaghan sa mhéid is go raibh sé ag tacú le muintir Northside Home Care. I fully agree with Deputy O' Callaghan in relation to Northside Home Care issue. It is really important that the considerable and important work done by these people is acknowledged by the Government and that they at least get equal pay for equal work. With regard to the Finance Bill, my constituents in Dublin Bay North are really feeling the pinch, and particularly with rising energy costs. I have spoken with many who have told me first hand of the difficulty and pressure they are facing in meeting their household costs. I welcome the measures the Government has taken. Thankfully, we have seen some reductions at the pumps in respect of fuel for transport but that is not to say the problem has been fully resolved. It is clear from the people I have been engaging with that energy costs remain a serious pressure for households and families. Interim supports are certainly welcome but we also have to bring forth longer-term measures to reduce bills. It is very difficult to listen to elderly people who in the autumn of their years require a lot of heat in their houses and are simply not putting the heat on. Just this week I had one constituent tell me how their gas-electricity supplier has informed them their annual electricity bill will increase by almost 10%, and annual gas bill by 11%. Electric Ireland announced this week it is to increase its prices by 8%. By any measure, these are extraordinary increases and any household would struggle to cushion such costs. There is understandable frustration among the public when bills continue to rise at a time when households are already under considerable pressure. We need to see transparency from the energy providers and greater consumer protection to ensure the public is not being price-gouged by companies which are earning extraordinary profits. The recent report that found Ireland has the highest household energy costs in the EU and the report published in recent days by the Household Energy Price Index that found that Dublin is the most expensive capital city in the EU for electricity are very concerning. My constituents are working hard and doing their utmost to make ends meet. They cannot take any more increases or pressure. I urge the Government to keep additional measures on its mind between now and the budget, keep this under consideration and invest in implementing long-term solutions to bring down bills. We must do everything we can to help households in meeting rising costs and ensure they have something to show for their hard work at the end of each week.

Sentiment score: 0.23