I thank my colleague, Deputy Doherty, and the party for bringing forward this emergency motion and legislation, because we are trying to bring hope. We are trying to bring hope to the families out there who are absolutely struggling and are out of their minds with worry about how they are going to fill their car and buy heating oil. We are trying to be constructive and bring forward solutions. I just heard the Minister say, and virtually all the TDs on the Government side say, that we are not going to have a knee-jerk reaction. A knee-jerk reaction would have been two weeks ago. We are nearly three weeks into this crisis and the Government has brought forward nothing. Does the Minister know what happened on the first day of this crisis? Prices went up on petrol, on diesel and home heating oil. He is the Minister and what did he do? He did nothing for three weeks. He has done nothing. This is in his remit. We have workers and families who have to use a car to get to work, college, hospital and school because governments never put in the rail infrastructure and the bus service is not dependable. Then the Government says it is going to help with its taxes. We are not in a cost-of-living crisis because it is a cost-of-living emergency now. People cannot pay their bills. What is the Government saying? The Minister and others say they will monitor it and look at it. The Minister just said they are going to analyse it. The Government should forget about analysing it and look after the people who cannot turn on their electricity. There are pensioners who will not turn on the heating in their houses because they are afraid they do not have the money to pay the bills. At the same time, this Government is giving data centres electricity for half price. Families are struggling. In the name of God, will the Government do this today and give the people the hope they need now?

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