The 2 cent cut on home heating oil is an absolute slap in the face for people as it is. The fact that the Government is going to take it back off them in a couple of weeks makes it worse. It is going to give a very meagre amount with one hand and it will take it back in a couple of weeks knowing, as it does, that going into this latest crisis that 320,000 people are in arrears on their electricity bills, knowing that people are already under a severe amount of pressure and knowing that we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, whether the Government acknowledges it or not. That cost-of-living crisis is very real. The Government's energy affordability taskforce has advised that the cost of fuel would increase by €321. This does not even touch sides of that. Do not take our word for it; the Minister can take the word of his own taskforce. It is telling him what is needed. We have told him what is needed. We have brought forward solutions. We have brought forward a plan that would make a real and meaningful difference in the lives of people who are worried that they will be cold in their homes. That should be a wake-up call for any Government but even the worst Government - the most out-of touch, tone-deaf Government - would not make things worse. It would not charge people even more in a couple of weeks' time. It would not jack up the costs even further but that is what the Government is proposing to do. The Minister's speech stated that any fair assessment of the Government's plan would see that it is the right thing to do but he should not take my assessment for this. I am going to read out a message I got from a woman who I will call Mary. She said: In brief I'm a full time career to my son who was very complex needs. My husband works full time, we have a mortgage and we need two cars. My son needs an electric bed, an air mattress, a feed pump, a suction machine, eight nebulisers on two different machines, a ceiling track hoist, a power chair and obviously needs the heating on all night. She said, "... it is disgraceful for the Government to act like we are being looked after. I just felt I needed to express our disappointment at the announcement of this emergency package and I'm hoping that you can bring it up." Well I will bring up it but what is the Minister's answer to her assessment of his plan?

Sentiment score: -0.08