I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "notes that" and substitute the following: ": — the conflict in the Middle East has, once again, exposed the vulnerability of the Irish economy, and Irish society more generally, to imported fossil fuels; — these strategic dependencies have major macroeconomic implications, and the risks to macroeconomic and fiscal stability cannot be ignored; — at a minimum, the large upward shift in energy prices is likely to impart stagflationary impulses to the global economy, with a combination of lower levels of economic activity alongside higher inflation; — by reducing Excise Duty payable on both petrol and diesel, the Government has dampened the pass-through from higher wholesale price to retail prices, but they have not gone far enough; — this burden-sharing has been complemented by other support mechanisms, including an extension of the fuel allowance season and targeted measures for the most exposed sectors; — the total budgetary cost of these measures is of the order of €750 million this year, one of the largest interventions of any country in the European Union (EU), and these measures reduce the annual rate of inflation in April, May, June and July by about 0.6 percentage points; — the Government has also extended the 9 per cent Value-Added Tax (VAT) on gas and electricity bills until 31st December, 2030, one of the lowest rates in the EU, which will have cost over €1 billion from the time it was introduced in May 2022, until the end of this year; — Budget 2026 left workers worse off, and handed tax breaks to those at the top; — the 9 per cent VAT rate for hospitality and hairdressing will take effect from 1st July, 2026, to support businesses in services sectors, supporting over 150,000 jobs across the country; — Budget 2026 delivered weekly welfare rate increases, benefitting approximately 1.5 million people, including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents; — for low-income families, Budget 2026 increased the weekly rate of the Child Support Payment; and — the Government has increased the rates for the Fuel Allowance, extended it to the recipients of the Working Family Payment, and recently extended the season by four weeks, to protect those at risk of fuel poverty; recognises that: — a package worth €750 million of supports has been introduced by the Government, that has left many people still struggling to make ends meet; — rates of Excise Duty (Mineral Oil Tax) applying to petrol, auto diesel and marked gas oil (MGO) have been temporarily reduced; — the National Oil Reserve Agency levy has been reduced by 2 cent per litre of fuel, to 31st July, 2026; — the total reductions, will reduce the cost of: — petrol, by 27 cent per litre; — diesel, by 32 cent per litre; and — MGO/green diesel, by 7.4 cent per litre; — the Government deferred the planned increase in carbon tax, scheduled for 1st May, until October, to provide additional support for consumers of green diesel and other affected fuels; — to protect those at risk of fuel poverty, the Government extended the fuel allowance season by four weeks, which will result in additional payments to over a quarter of households; — in Budget 2026, Government announced that VAT on electricity and gas will remain at the lowest possible level of 9 per cent to the end of 2030, to mitigate costs and address energy poverty; — the Government increased the maximum repayment allowable under the Diesel Rebate Scheme from 7.5 cent up to 12 cent per litre of diesel, which will apply until 30th June, 2026; — these interventions have been designed to provide timely and proportionate relief, indeed, the Government's approach is underpinned by the need to balance short-term supports with longer-term objectives, including: — maintaining fiscal discipline and building fiscal buffers; — supporting continued employment growth and economic stability; — strategic capital investment and infrastructure delivery; — advancing Ireland's climate commitments and energy transition; and — strengthening energy security and resilience; — the Fuel Support Scheme for farmers is now open for applications, and a scheme for hauliers will open in the coming weeks; — the bank levy has raised €1.8 billion since 2014, with a further €200 million due in 2026; — the National Development Plan, includes the once-off receipts arising from the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling of 2024, to advance key capital 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 guide the medium-term transition towards energy independence; and — the Government has also established the National Energy Affordability Taskforce, to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability; further recognises that: — Budget 2026 left workers worse off and handed tax breaks to those at the top; — according to analysis by the Economic and Social Research Institute of Budget 2026 measures, households lost disposable income, with low-income households hit hardest; — despite clear evidence of an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the Government withdrew cost of living supports, including energy credits; — people with disabilities have been hard hit by the Government's callous decision to withdraw cost of living support, with many people with disabilities left up to €1,400 worse off; — since energy credits were withdrawn, we have seen record numbers of household unable to pay their electricity bills, and many more people struggling to keep up; — the Government measures on Excise Duty on fuel do not go far enough, with petrol, diesel, and green diesel all remaining too expensive at the pumps; — the Government has refused to cut Excise Duty on home heating oil, despite over 700,000 homes relying on this fuel source for heating; — struggling households cannot wait until next years' Budget for Government intervention; and — the State is forecast to run a surplus of €9.2 billion, €4.1 billion higher than previously projected; and calls on the Government to immediately introduce a Cost of Living Emergency Budget that will: — cut the Universal Social Charge, to put €500 back in the pockets of workers; — cut Excise Duty on fuels, such as petrol, diesel, green diesel and home heating oil; — introduce energy credits of €400 per household; and — make targeted cost of living support payments of €500 for people with disabilities, €400 for social welfare recipients, such as pensioners and people on the Working Family Payment, and a double child benefit payment.". As I have said before, we here get an opportunity to come in and repeat our single transferable speech. Unfortunately, however, that is what is necessary because this Government will not listen. I do not know how long we have been talking about the housing crisis, and I imagine everybody who is talking about engaging with people on doors or in their constituency offices or clinics cannot but see the number of people coming to them with notices to quit. They have no notion how they will afford the unaffordable rents, which were unaffordable long before the Government decided it was okay to introduce its Bill which actually hiked those rents. The Minister of State says the Government is honest. I suppose he will accept that Ireland has the most expensive electricity in Europe and around 320,000 households that cannot pay their electricity bill. How many people is that? We are probably talking about a million. One in four people cannot pay their gas bills. These are the realities that everyone else bar the Government realises are happening. There was support for those who were out on the fuel protests. Why? It was because people are annoyed and browned off - I think that is the nicest way I can put it - about a Government that is not listening and does not see their problems. Their problems at this point are many. Anybody who has tried to shop in the past while knows that they cannot rely on the prices from the week before as an indication of what they will have to pay. Inflation has nearly doubled. We are talking about a 3.6% increase, while the Government had projected 1.8%. I get that some of these circumstances are outside of the Government's control. We all accept there is a madness in the world at the moment, that Donald Trump, led by Israel, is doing what he is doing and that the Minister of State and the Government cannot control that. They can call him out, and the international community could play a stronger role in that regard, but first and foremost the Government could look after its own people. We have calls for energy credits, and not because energy credits are a solution but because they can be done here and now. Energy credits were only ever meant to be a stop-gap measure that would provide the time and place for the Government to deal with the necessary reforms, for the powers to be given to the CRU and for us to ensure we are not wedded to through-the-roof gas prices. Everyone here talks about wind power and how we would love this country to become, as we used to say, the Saudi Arabia of wind power. However, we have not seen sufficient movement over years and years in an industry in which at one time we were ahead of the game. I have to ask not about what the Government has done but about what it was forced to do by the fuel protesters. That is the reality. They had support on the street because every man, woman and child is fed up with the pressure they are under and they need support now, not into the future. That is why we are saying we need to put €500 back in workers' pockets, that is, abolish the USC on the first €32,500. That is straightforward. That is just putting money into people's pockets. We know we need to get €400 or thereabouts in electricity energy credits. The people who have always been forgotten about are those with disabilities. The Government accepts there is a need for a cost-of-disability payment. It intends to do some work on delivering it next year but it was not delivered last year. What about the people who sometimes cannot afford to eat or heat or who cannot afford to charge their electric wheelchair? We have all heard directly from people. This is not made-up anger; it is the reality of the world we are in. It is an emergency budget now that is necessary. We need to see the Government listen, watch what is happening out there and take real action.

Sentiment score: 0.11