I move: That Dáil Éireann; notes that: — energy prices in Ireland are already among the highest in Europe and prices are continuing to rise rapidly; — the cost of home heating oil rose by nearly 70 per cent last month alone, the largest month-on-month increase ever recorded; — kerosene is the main heating fuel for 700,000 households across the country; — the prices of petrol and diesel have exponentially increased in recent weeks, putting huge pressure on commuters as well as the transport and agricultural sectors; — households in Ireland pay €360 more a year for electricity than the European Union average; — gas prices in Ireland are now double what they were in 2021; — there are 315,000 households in arrears on their electricity bills, up 20 per cent in just 12 months, and 180,000 households are in arrears on gas bills; and — prices are also soaring across the economy, for groceries, housing, transport and insurance costs; further notes that: — sky-rocketing energy prices have been coupled with huge increases in other household costs, like groceries and rent, and are putting a huge strain on low-and-middle-income families; — according to a 2025 Credit Union Consumer Sentiment survey, 15 per cent of Irish consumers would be unable to cope with a financial emergency costing €1,000; — a Barnardos report last year found 75 per cent of parents had to cut back or go without essential items because of cost-of-living increases; — a Child Poverty Monitor last year found the number of children living in consistent poverty nearly doubled, to more than 100,000; and — Children's Rights Alliance Chief Executive Officer Tanya Ward has described the cumulative impact of continued soaring costs as "a landslide effect" for low-income families, meaning providing basic necessities like nutritious food or a warm home has become increasingly difficult; agrees that: — wholesale electricity prices have fallen by more than 70 per cent since their 2022 peak, but retail prices have only fallen by approximately 20 per cent during the same period; — in fact, as electricity wholesale prices continued to fall last year, all but one commercial provider hiked their prices, most by double digit figures; and — wholesale prices have continued to fall this year, but retail prices have not been cut; further notes that: — the Government consistently says it wants to target supports where they are needed most, but there is a huge gap between what they say and what they do; — according to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the Government's recent budget reduced the incomes of the poorest households by over four per cent and massively increased poverty rates among elderly people from 13 per cent to 19 per cent; — according to the Disability Federation of Ireland, Budget 2026 also cut the incomes of disabled people, among those most at risk of poverty, by up to €1,400 per annum; and — the inadequate support measures the Government announced in March 2026 provided no support for households that rely on home heating oil and do not receive the Fuel Allowance; and calls on the Government to: — provide emergency relief to struggling individuals and families by immediately introducing a €400 energy credit, targeted at families earning up to €70,000; — adopt the Social Democrats "Solar for All" plan which includes a doubling of grants for solar installation to €3,600, and the inclusion of solar panels in the "Warmer Homes Scheme" to help families cut electricity costs by an average of €450 a year; — introduce a supplementary mileage scheme for essential workers like nurses and carers, who depend on their cars to travel for work; and — increase the rebate scheme for the transport sector, to cover unsustainable increases in fuel costs, and introduce a rebate scheme for green diesel that can be availed of by agricultural contractors and others who use that fuel. There is something in the air at present. You can feel it. It feels heavier. I can feel it in conversations every day, on the doors, in the shops, and when I stop and talk to people on the street. It is a level of pressure and of desperation that I have not witnessed since the period of austerity. People are not just worried any more; they are stretched completely to the limit. They are choosing between heating their homes and feeding their families. They are juggling bills, putting things off and hoping nothing else goes wrong because if it does, they have nothing left to give. People feel completely on their own while the Government is trying to tell them everything is fine. We had Ministers and backbenchers yesterday pointing to record surpluses and offering platitudes while thousands of households were living in deficit and struggling just to get through the week. They are completely disconnected from the reality of what people are going through and this week showed that in the starkest of terms. Wholesale electricity prices have fallen by more than 70% since their 2022 peak. Retail prices have fallen by approximately 20%. While this is happening, all but one commercial provider increased their prices, most by double-digit figures. That gap is not an accident. It is a choice of a Government that has failed to intervene. It is a choice that has been made at the expense of every family simply trying to get through the week. The Government says that it wants to target supports where they are needed most but in the previous budget, it reduced the incomes of the poorest households. It cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400 a year. The measures announced in March provided nothing for households relying on home heating oil that were not in receipt of the fuel allowance. That is exactly why we are bringing forward the motion today. Our proposals are straightforward. They include a targeted €400 energy credit for households earning up to €70,000. In over 1 million households, people are working, contributing, doing everything right and still being left behind. We recognise that for our most vital workers, people without whom the country would collapse, the pressure is even higher. I refer to nurses, carers, people who cannot work from home and people who rely on their cars to do their jobs. Right now, and I wish this was hyperbole, many of them are effectively paying to go to work. We are proposing a supplementary mileage scheme for essential workers and targeted support for those people who need their cars to provide the service that we ask of them. These are necessary responses to an immediate crisis but they are not sufficient on their own. Fossil fuel energy appears cheap up front but when you are buying gas and oil forever, you have no control over the price set in global markets. Every few years, first with Ukraine and now Iran, we are reminded with brutal clarity of just how exposed it leaves us. Renewable energy works the other way. Admittedly, there are high upfront costs but once it is running, the fuel is free and the maintenance is low. That is the logic behind our Solar for All plan. The upfront cost is a barrier and that is precisely where the State must act. Research from UCD estimates that all homes in Ireland have the potential for solar. If realised, it could meet a quarter of all residential electricity demand. A typical installation saves a household over €400 a year. Ireland generates just 1.5% of our total energy from solar. Denmark, similar in size, population and weather, is at 5%. That is not a geographic difference. That is a political choice. We are proposing to double the solar installation grant to €3,600, to include solar panels in the warmer home schemes and to introduce a €1,000 battery storage grant. We are asking a straightforward question. Why did this Government cut solar grants while we lurched from one energy crisis to the next? The lesson was there but was clearly not learned. A credit will help families now, they need it now and we are not walking away from that, but solar investments help families for a lifetime. The State may not always have the fiscal room it has today. The question is whether we use this moment just to spend or whether we use it to invest, and we are choosing to invest. Right now, there is an opportunity and a space for leadership. During the oil crisis shock in the 1970s, Denmark chose to invest in its renewables. That is why it has offset the worst pain for its citizens being experienced today during this crisis. What we need now is a Government of vision - people who will listen to the concerns of those who they meet on the streets and at the doors and respond to them with urgency, clarity and compassion - but we also need people of vision who will stand up and say that we are going to invest so that never again will we be in this situation. That is why we are bringing our motion today.

Sentiment score: 0.00

It is a shame the Government will not be supporting this Social Democrats' motion that provides solutions both immediately and for the future. I assure the Minister of State we will not be supporting the Government amendment. In three pages of testimony, basically, it is just telling us we will just continue as we are. Continuing on as we are is not acceptable any more. People are hurting too much. It is palpable. Government needs to listen, intervene and act. As part of our motion we talked about an enhanced supplementary mileage scheme for healthcare and essential workers. The Government amendment does not even reference that fact. I sat in this Chamber yesterday while a continuum of Ministers talked about how people were not able to make their appointments during the protests last week. I also listened to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation three weeks ago when it told us there were healthcare practitioners - nurses and midwives - who simply could not get to their patients when using their own cars because of the cost of fuel. That is why we made that proposal and it is lamentable in the extreme that the Government has simply averted its gaze from it. It is an insult to the healthcare workers we rely on. We proposed a €400 energy credit for households earning under €70,000. We did that because people are struggling. The Minister of State told us this Government has given the largest package in Europe but he stopped there. He did not say that Ireland has the highest energy prices in Europe or that we have 315,000 households in energy arrears as we speak. Most frighteningly of all, that figure has increased by 20% in the last 12 months. Can the Minister of State tell me that in six months’ time that number will not have increased again? There are families who are genuinely terrified about another bill coming through their letterbox, so we are asking for that €400 credit. Also, in Ireland we pay on average €360 more than the EU average for electricity so the €400 we propose just brings us to parity, yet the Government has averted its gaze from it. We understand we need solutions both immediately and in the long term so we also proposed a solar power for all initiative. We need leadership, vision and a commitment that never again will we be in the situation we are in now. It is because of global factors and we appreciate that but at this moment we need vision, leadership and intervention. Ministers disgraced themselves last week with their reactionary tone. They inflamed tensions. What we need here is people who provide solutions. The solar power for all initiative that is being developed by my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, is one that is cost-effective, evidence-based and enables the Irish State to say “Never again” by investing in our communities. It is a capital investment. It could be paid for through the excesses of the carbon tax and it will also mean that when these shocks come again, which they will, Irish households will be inoculated against the worst extent of the crisis. We are asking for bold intervention, an acknowledgement - by listening to the people we meet on the doors - that they are hurting and intervening with a €400 energy credit accompanied by a belief that never again should we be in this position by removing ourselves from fossil fuel dependency. That starts by recognising we can intervene here and we have a role to play. During the oil shock of the 1970s Denmark invested in renewables and it has inoculated its citizens from the worst effects of this particular crisis. I am sick and tired of hearing about how we are a wealthy country and that we have surpluses. Every single day I knock on doors of citizens who are operating on a deficit. That is a crying shame. There is capacity here and the Government will have support across the Chamber if we invest in people’s immediate needs and also in the solutions of tomorrow. That should be a solar power for all initiative and that is achievable. It could make a huge difference. We will be opposing the Government’s amendment and it is a damn shame it is not bringing forward the necessary solutions.

Sentiment score: -0.12