The Government may have won the confidence vote yesterday, backed by Independents, but I can assure the House that I and the public have lost all confidence in it. The Government still has not taken the necessary steps to make fuel affordable at the pumps, and it did nothing on home heating oil. This is despite the fact that heating oil has hit the highest price on record. The last-minute proposed package does not go far enough. Coach companies do not know what the support scheme offers them. Where are the details of the direct payments? Households are struggling. They have to deal every day with a cost-of-living crisis. Fuel, food, rent and heating have all spiralled out of control. There has been an increase in school bus prices, which are up from €50 to €100 for primary students, and from €75 to €100 for post-primary students. Families look to the Government during tough times for leadership, and there is none. Some 320,000 people cannot afford their electricity, and 25% cannot afford to pay their gas bills. Everyone else is running just to stand still. Sinn Féin brought forward legislation over a month ago to reduce the cost of petrol, diesel, green diesel and home heating oil. We called for the maximum reduction for everyone, directly at the pumps, but the Government opposed these common-sense measures. We needed an immediate 25 cent off the price of diesel and petrol. The Government’s miserly offer was swallowed up in days. Sinn Féin proposed the removal of excise, including the carbon tax, on home heating oil. We also called for the maximum cut to excise, including the carbon tax, on green diesel. The Government created a situation where people felt ignored, so they took to the streets in protest. This was like the Right2Water mark II, but they were met not by a government willing to engage, but with pompous lectures and finger-wagging. The Taoiseach totally underestimated the level of anger towards this Government. Every day in my constituency office, I have individuals and representatives calling in. It is the Minister's constituency as well. He needs to do better.

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