Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 19 Oct 2022

Goehr magad, Laos Cairn Coeurle, Taoiseach, last night Sinn Fein brought a motion before the Dáil calling on you to ensure that households are protected from electricity and gas disconnection this winter. Our motion proposes a ban on disconnections now instead of waiting until December as your plan suggests and would provide desperately needed protection and certainty for hundreds of thousands of households using prepaid metres. Government has stated that you won't oppose the motion and that is to be welcomed, but those struggling to pay their energy bills need urgent action now to implement these measures without delay. It's nearly three weeks, Teesha Quinn, since you stated that nobody would be disconnected this winter, including households using prepaid metres, and as you know, I welcomed that at the time. But since then, I and others have asked you repeatedly for your plan to deliver on that commitment and you haven't provided an answer. Instead, we hear now that Minister Ryan is to publish a plan in the coming weeks. Teesha, those struggling to pay their electricity bills don't have the luxury of weeks. They're in trouble now. Over 200,000 households are now, as we speak, in electricity arrears. The fear of disconnection is very real and very present for them. And this will only get worse as people scramble to keep up with the soaring cost of living. The October bills are arriving now. They're landing like a body blow. I spoke to one woman last night who told me that the heart was put crossways in her when she saw her bill. She said that she felt winded. That's how she described it. People work hard all day and then they're afraid to turn on their lights when they come home. Parents worry that they'll be disconnected and their children won't have light to do their homework. Many families using prepaid meters are now forced to have dark days and to ration their electricity. That's where it's at for so many people. So asking these households to wait on the never-never for your government's plan isn't good enough. They need you to act now to ensure that every single household is protected from disconnection. And this has to include those using prepaid meters. And I've said to you before, Taoiseach, but let me repeat, there is actually a simple solution to what is a big problem. Some prepaid companies already have disconnection bans in place for weekends and for some public holidays. This ban should be simply extended to provide these households with 24-7 protection until the end of March. I think you need to grasp this solution, Taoiseach. Don't leave people waiting and waiting with unimaginable stress. No more. Tiaulia Cusindh. O Gí Cianngal Fuinnaivh Angevraiseach. Cahi an realtis cus. Cusk er Gí Cianngal a Hordseisteach anis. Agus cín tiu a eainn of. Go náiríteir iodh siudh a úsódian mad meadir. Iach mar a úsódir. Taoiseach, I want you to follow up on your decision not to oppose our motion and to deliver for these households. So that means a ban on disconnections starting immediately and it means those on prepaid meters to be included now with that absolute assurance that they will not be disconnected. Yesterday, I said to you very sincerely that we will work with government to get the eviction ban in place as quickly as is possible. And Taoiseach, I believe that we need the same urgency, the same willingness to work together to ensure that no household is disconnected this winter. I think, first of all, we all share that view and that objective. And the Minister has met with the companies, with the supplier, with Mabs and indeed with Vincent de Paul and other non-governmental organizations who are at the coalface in respect of challenges that certain families or people may feel or experience, particularly during a winter like this. And the government has taken a number of measures here. First of all, we're not standing by, we're not waiting. I think by any fair measure, the budget announcements are very significant in ensuring that people have the wherewithal to avoid this connection and in particular to meet the very significant increase in electricity costs. And that's apart from the measures that were taken earlier in the year. But the €600 in terms of the energy credit is a very significant intervention. Three payments of €200 in the following billing periods, November, December, January, February 2023, and March, April 2023. And then you go further then in terms of the over €2.5 billion to support households that we've provided now in the budget. A €400 lump sum payment to fewer loans recipients, €200 lump sum payment for pensioners, €500 cost of living lump sum payment to all families, getting working family payment, double payment of child benefit to support all families with children, €500 cost of living payment for people receiving care as support grant will be paid in November. And the €500 cost of living disability support grant will be paid to all people receiving a long-term disability payment. And these are very substantial interventions. Far stronger than what you actually proposed yourself in your alternative budget. But leave that to one side. I'm not going to go through that list. Because your alternative budget was quite poor in respect of the fuel allowance. No, it's seriously. And in terms of pensioners as well. That's the bottom line. It left major gaps there. The winter moratorium and disconnections for all domestic customers for non-payment has been extended to three months, as I've suggested it, from the 1st of December to the 28th of February. The CRU, in respect of pay-as-you-go meters, has decided to suspend the €200 gas meter exchange siteworks charge associated with a customer moving from a pay-as-you-go gas meter to a bill pay credit meter for all domestic customers. That's welcome. And then, as you know, the level of emergency credit for pre-pay meters was increased. Now, the CRU are examining that even further. But the minister's engagement with quite a number of the NGOs here, the NGOs warned against increasing the overdraft, or what's called a credit, but in essence it's an overdraft. In other words, increasing debt for families. So we would prefer that not to happen and to seek more effective ways to support people who could end up in difficulty or may have challenges in the pay-as-you-go area. And the minister will continue to engage with a number of stakeholders to make sure that no one is disconnected. And that's something that, you know, I'm following his discussions with the companies and following his discussions with CRU, we don't believe that's going to happen in terms of disconnections as such. But there are people who could be in difficulty and we're looking at what's the best mechanism to prevent anyone from being disconnected, as opposed to just increasing the credit and the overdraft, which could lead to further debt for families who don't need to get into further debt. I'm going to talk to Mary Lou Macdonald. Thank you, thank you, Laskan Korda. So, you see, the difficulty lies in your statement there that the minister will continue to engage. So, I am just very, very concerned that there is not a sense of pace in your response to this situation, which is one of incredible stress and worry for hundreds of thousands of families across the land. Your concern about people falling into debt is understandable, but I need to say to you, the far greater concern for those using prepaid meters is that they won't have electricity, they won't have supply to their homes. And we need to deal with that as a matter of urgency. I've already said to you, Taoiseach, many of the prepaid companies already allow protection at weekends and specific public holidays. The best way, the most straightforward way to deal with this matter is to have that protection extended on a 24-7 basis. The minister does not need to endlessly do rounds of meeting with people to arrive at that conclusion. And I am appealing to you, as a matter of urgency, to adopt that position, to approach those companies and tell them we need this ban in place now. Well, could I first of all say again, the measures the government have introduced are very, very substantial in terms of on the income side, in terms of providing funding to people to meet their electricity bills. Monthly substantial payments from now till the end of the year. They should not be so lightly dismissed as the government not doing anything. They've been unprecedented in terms of the scale and volume of those payments. In addition to that, then you have other measures that the CRU have taken in respect of pay as you go. And you have other measures then in terms of the additional needs in terms of social protection. So, ta an riltis, ag da annaf, gach rod, chun, caoer agus taachieacht, aghord, da ghini, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, agh, Errini can coere hoorto i rithan gairig er fad agus time moninach. Go meig an ara agus an ameadat ha dintag an bwildes gudisio. In on dini achosant.