The assistance being given on the cost of fuel will bring some relief but I would like to see it more targeted. The question is how we can target it in the short term. There are middle-income areas who do not qualify for the fuel allowance. There is a particular cohort whose income is just over the limit and they will not benefit from the extra month of fuel allowance, although it is welcome. The cost of home heating oil is an issue that is not being addressed and we are stuck with it for now. Many rural households out there, particularly in counties such as Laois, are dependent on home heating oil, unfortunately, for now. They are not going to feel any benefit from this, particularly the ones who are outside of the fuel allowance limits. I welcome the VAT rebate being given to hauliers, but the same VAT rebate needs to be given to bus operators, who are mainly on fixed-price contracts. I would like the Tánaiste to note that a particular sector, including minibus and coach operators, have fixed-price contracts from the Department of education and from tour operators and they need the same VAT rebate as hauliers. While I welcome the €235 million spent on the measure, I would like to see it more targeted. There is a question over how quickly this is going to kick in and the Tánaiste has admitted this. We need to see some action on this. Prices went up very quickly but as soon as this kicks in, we need to see the prices reduce. I would have liked to see some specific measure for households in arrears on electricity and gas bills. I will try to put this realistically in the context of what is happening. We need to move on energy independence. We may not be able to become totally independent - I understand that - but I would like us to be able to accelerate that and move towards a greater level. The red lights are flashing. We also need to do it for environmental reasons, given that the report yesterday said the globe is warming even faster than we had thought. For many good reasons, we need to accelerate and move towards energy independence with renewables. Lastly, we need to clearly oppose this crazy war. It is absolutely crazy. It is an imperial war, it is an oil war----

Sentiment score: 0.12

-----and, as a small neutral country, we need to stand up and say, "Stop the madness".

Sentiment score: -0.30