I move that: That Dáil Éireann: recognises that: — unsustainably high energy and fuel prices in this state further compounded a pre-existing cost of living crisis; — the duty of the Government is to protect people from severe energy shocks to the greatest extent possible; and — the Government has the ability to cut the cost of fuel; notes that: — home heating oil has hit the highest price on record going back 30 years; — petrol and diesel are on course to exceed their highest price on record this month; and — the price of green diesel and other fuels are at unsustainably high levels; condemns the Government for: — not reconvening the Dáil last week and not introducing emergency supports; — delays and half measures that abandoned many households and left sectors of the economy badly exposed; and — not engaging directly with the protestors that has made the situation worse; and calls on the Government to: — take the maximum action necessary to cut fuel prices so they are affordable for the workers, families and sectors that rely on them. Tá daoine ar fud an Stáit seo faoi bhrú millteanach agus tá sé ag éirí níos measa.  Tá costas breosla ag ardú agus tá an costas maireachtála ag goilliúint.  Le scéal fada a dhéanamh gairid, níl aon spás fágtha ag oibrithe agus teaghlaigh na praghsanna seo a iompar.  Tá gníomh cinntithe de dhíth orthu ón Rialtas seo ach in áit sin fuair siad moill, lag-iarracht agus freagra nár shroich an méid atá de dhíth ag daoine. The reality facing people right across this State is stark. In rural Ireland and in communities right across the country, people have no alternative to the car. There is no reliable public transport network and there is no option but to pay. Right now, that cost is crushing people. Fuel prices have surged and families are watching the cost of filling the tank as it spirals week after week. For those relying on home heating oil - and there are 750,000 of a million of them - the situation is even worse. This is not an abstract situation. This is about people wondering how they are going to get to work. This is about parents deciding which bill does not get paid. It is about older people and carers rationing heat in their homes. All the while, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have delayed and dithered. They refused to act as costs spiralled out of control and pressure mounted. Now, after weeks of delay and public anger forced their hand, they are bringing forward a package that still falls far short of what is required. It does not match the scale of the crisis. It does not provide certainty to workers who rely on their cars every day. It does not address the reality facing households that are dependent on home heating oil. Once again, it leaves far too many people behind. We again see a familiar pattern of limited measures focused on particular sectors while ordinary workers and families are expected to carry the burden. That is the core of this failure. Even in the context of today’s announcement, the choices made will not cut it. There were real choices to be made, and we have put them forward in the amendments. The Government could have removed excise duty from home heating oil, but it did not. It could have cut the cost of diesel to bring the level to a more affordable one, but it chose not to. It could have done the same with petrol, but it decided to turn its face against that. It could have gone further to deliver real, immediate relief, but it refused. Instead, it produced a package that will not even keep pace with rising prices. No amount of spin regarding today’s figures changes that reality for anyone. Let us be honest about how we got here. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Social Democrats and the Labour Party voted against the Sinn Féin amendments to help people keep their homes warm, get from A to B, drop their kids to school and go to appointments. I was shocked to see them voting with the Government and voting against the sensible proposals we put forward.

Sentiment score: -0.17

This Government is not acting and is not listening. It was dragged to take action by public anger and by pressure, because people could not take any more. Even now, after all that, what has been brought forward falls far short. As if that was not enough, the Government is turning its fire not just on the protesters but also on the media. We have had a Minister question RTÉ’s coverage of the protests. That is, as has been said by others, a sinister intervention. It is an attempt to lean on journalists, to second-guess editorial decisions and to signal that coverage of political protest should somehow be policed. That strikes at the heart of a free media. We have been here before in this country and Sinn Féin suffered the consequence of it. The Minister seems to want to bring us back to the days of section 31, when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael censored our political party and prevented us from being allowed to even talk on the national airwaves. This crisis is not about media rows, however. It is about ordinary people. It is about those who have no choice but to drive to work, who are trying to heat their homes today and who are struggling with the wider cost-of-living crisis. They needed decisive action and real relief. They are not getting it from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. When Ministers quote the figures relating to today’s package, they need to understand one thing. They need to understand that for the people living through this crisis, those figures do not change their reality. They do not change the pressure in a meaningful way. They do not match either the scale of the crisis or what is needed. This is why today’s amendment from Sinn Féin matters. It is because the Dáil has a choice to accept a late, limited response that leaves people behind or to demand real action and leadership that meets the scale of this crisis. The Government failed to act when people needed it. It is now refusing to act at the scale required.

Sentiment score: -0.22