6. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the first progress report of the climate action plan. [8096/26]

Sentiment score: 0.14

In August of last year, I was out ill at the time, but Deputy Murphy raised on my behalf and our area's behalf the issue of gorse fires in Cherrywood. As the Taoiseach knows, Cherrywood is the biggest residential development the country. I did not realise, to be honest, that gorse is very dangerous when it is burned. It is very toxic. These fires went on, basically, for several weeks. The residents are saying that, really, there was no proper planning or co-ordination between different State agencies in terms of responding to this. The fires continued. People were passing the parcel between the HSE, the council, fire services and so on as to who was actually responsible. Meanwhile, these dangerous toxic pollutants were going into people's homes. The monitoring of them was completely inadequate because it was not incident-specific. The monitoring stations were far away where they would not be able to capture the damage that was being done from the fires. The report shows significant negative health impacts. What people really want to know is that the Government is going to take it seriously, that there is a proper emergency response plan and that there is co-ordination between different Government agencies in assessing the health risk and, indeed, being able to respond to these emergencies.

Sentiment score: -0.24

20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach for his response to the NESC report, Building a Virtuous Demographic Cycle. [10453/26]

Sentiment score: 0.18

Among other things, the report deals with the issue of energy poverty. It might be of interest to the Taoiseach to know that disability groups, pensioner groups, trade unions and many others, as part of the recently established Affordable Ireland Campaign, will hold a major protest on 28 February. At the centre of that is a demand that this Government brings in an emergency winter payment, even at this late stage, and beyond that, cost-of-disability payments. Energy poverty is at the centre of it and how vulnerable people, older people and people with disabilities get particularly hard hit and have been particularly hard hit during the winter months. The removal of the energy credits and the lack of action by the Government on the profiteering of energy companies is resulting in energy poverty. What will the Taoiseach say to people suffering from energy poverty?

Sentiment score: -0.28

No. Get them on tax.

Sentiment score: -0.15

Get them on tax.

Sentiment score: 0.00