While Government backbenchers might not wish to acknowledge it, workers and families are being hammered under the watch of this Government. Petrol and diesel prices are rising sharply and the Government response is too late and nowhere near strong enough. Households are already stretched and we see it not just in energy but across the board: food costs and school costs are up. The costs of getting to work, doing the school run, caring for family and just living in rural Ireland are increasing. The Government has choices and it chose not to deliver the maximum fuel cuts available. What we saw last night was meanness laid bare - too late, stingy, divorced from reality and frankly insulting. Over 750,000 households rely on home heating oil and they are being left behind. The cost of a fill has surged to between €1,600 and €1,800, depending on what day it is and where in the country you live. The Government's response has been tokenistic: a short fuel allowance extension that will be wiped out by rising prices and a measly 2 cent reduction on heating oil. The Taoiseach's response yesterday during Leaders' Questions was illustrative when he joked that it is okay because it will be May soon. People are in energy arrears and are struggling to heat their homes. There are cold snaps at the end of March and people rely on home heating oil for hot water, including people looking after older or unwell family members at home. It is not good enough for the Government and the Taoiseach, as Head of Government, to make jokes about these things. Energy poverty and child poverty are growing and people are rationing heat. We have heard some of the stories. Some of us engage with our constituents in constituency offices and clinics. I know it might be uncomfortable for some people on the opposite side to do that from time to time but those of us who engage and listen hear those stories every day. I am not talking about the Minister but many of his colleagues do not operate clinics or offices. The Government could have removed excise on home heating oil and delivered real relief but once again chose not to act. This crisis is hitting those who produce in our economy. Fishermen and other primary producers face soaring fuel costs without any meaningful support. The impact spreads through coastal and rural communities. When coastal and rural enterprises are squeezed, their local economies suffer. It is kicking a sector when it is already down.

Sentiment score: -0.10