Pearse Doherty: Tánaiste Ignoring Families Who Can't Heat Homes

Tánaiste, after weeks of turmoil, protest and public anger over soaring fuel prices, what is most striking is this, that your government is still not listening. Right across the state over 750,000 households rely on home heat and oil to keep their homes warm. For them this crisis is an abstract, it's immediate, it's punishing, it's the difference between heating their home or going without. And yet despite everything that's happened over the past number of weeks, despite the protests, despite the pressure, despite the clear message from workers and families right across the state, you still haven't reduced excise by a single cent on home heat and oil. Nothing. And you now expect a pat on the back for not increasing carbon tax in a fortnight's time on home heat and oil. Instead, you're going to impose that increase in the very depths of winter. For families already stretched to the brink, that's no relief at all. And what does that say about your government, Tánaiste? That after weeks of anger, or after weeks of hardship, you still don't get it. You still simply don't understand the lives people are living. You don't understand the fear of that bill landing that can't be paid, or that quiet dread of a cold home, or the constant calculation just to get through to the end of the week. There's a complete lack of urgency, of empathy, a lack of basic understanding from your government. Because what we've seen is just not inaction. It's a pattern of behaviour, Tánaiste, a pattern of behaviour that poured fuel on this crisis. Last week, members of your government chose to insult, to demean and even threaten those who took to the streets. People who were left with no choice but to rise up and out of desperation because their livelihoods are being disseminated. And that's the reality of it. They are seen cut after cut, price rise after price rise, and they felt that they had no other option but to actually take a stand. And now, adding insult to injury, many of those same workers are returning home to find parking fines landing through their letterbox. This is the wrong response, Tánaiste. It's a response that punishes people who are already pushed to the brink. People who didn't have money last week and now you're asking them to fork up hundreds of euro in parking fines. I mean, for goodness sake, where's the common sense in all of this? Have you learned nothing over the last week? Are you not listening to where people are at? Is it any wonder that this government is so detached from where people's lived realities is? Because it is staggering. A government that refuses to act on the issue of home heat and oil. A government that dismisses and belittles those in hardship. And a government that is making life even harder for many of those same people. So I'm going to ask you directly, how do you justify standing here and deciding not to decrease excise duty on home heat and oil by a single cent? Why do you, with all you know, that people are being pushed to the pin of their collar, that people are going without heat in their homes, why do you as Minister for Finance, as Tánaiste of this government, simply ignore them, refuse to listen to them and refuse to act on their behalf on the issue of home heat and oil? Tánaiste. Go raibh maith agat, Laskain Coil. I want to join with the Deputy in extending my sympathy to the family and friends and community of Moira Brennan, a musical icon, a unique voice of extraordinary talent and somebody who played no small part in bringing Irish music to an international audience. May she rest in peace. I want to thank you for the question. This has been a very challenging period of time for the people of this country. And the pressures that people are feeling are real. And we are working constructively to endeavour as best we can to assist people at a time of huge, huge global turmoil. And the first thing I'd say, because there's sometimes an effort to divide into different groups in society, everybody will benefit from the energy package that we have put in place. And the reason I say that is because, as the Deputy knows, when you take measures to try and reduce energy prices, that has a positive effect in moderating the likely increases that we will see in terms of inflation. So while there's been much discussion, quite rightly, this week around fuel, the discussion we've been having actually and the measures we've been putting in place will hopefully have a broader positive impact in terms of trying to suppress, insofar as one can, what is likely to be a growing rate of inflation. And that has a direct pass through when it gets to the supermarket floor as well. So that's the first thing I'd say. The second thing I'd say, and I'll get directly to kerosene in a moment, the second thing I'd say is this is not a small package by any fair or objective measure. And I presume you'd acknowledge that. It is a package of €750 million in total support. It is either the largest or one of the very largest packages in the European Union. And there's a table that simply proves that. This government, on behalf of the people of Ireland, has taken action that means this is one of the very largest packages in the European Union. And the details of that are well known. Reductions in petrol, excise reduction in diesel excise, reduction in green diesel, package for farmers, for farm contractors, for agricultural contractors, for hauliers, for bus contractors, for fishers, for many, many important supply sectors of the Irish economy. And you're also right, Deputy, that there is a real issue when it comes to the cost of home heating oil. On that much we agree. But it's how you respond is where we have a disagreement. So we have taken issues to help people with home heating oil. We took a conscious decision to expand the fuel allowance. The fuel allowance season was meant to be over by now. It wasn't meant to be available to people this month. It's worth €152 per household as a result of that extension. It's cost a €71 million. You know that the households that are most in need from a fuel poverty point of view get that. You know them in your constituency. We all know them. Pensioners, many pensioners, many carers, many people with disability, and crucially many people on low income, many low income working people as well with the working family payment. About a quarter of all households in the country now receive that payment. So please let people know that. And this is a targeted measure. And indeed, and you know, I'm watching what's going to likely to happen in Northern Ireland today, which your party will know well through your role in the Executive. The measures you're likely to bring in today will be targeted measures as well in terms of home heating oil. Not a universal measure, a targeted measure. Second thing we've done, and it is important, we listened and I listened in this house when people said, suspend the increase in carbon tax on kerosene and suspend the increase on green diesel. We support the carbon tax, so do most of the opposition, by the way. You don't. We support it because it plays a very important role in funding the climate transition, supporting farmers, supporting retrofitting, supporting fuel poverty. But we did extend that too. But your solutions, we did extend the suspension. Your solutions aren't as easy as you suggest either, because I looked at one of your solutions. We should all look at people's ideas and we should be willing to engage on ideas. And I had my officials look at your proposal in terms of putting the carbon tax back to 2023 rates and backdating the reversal to the 1st of May. And I've been told revenue doesn't hold any records of any individual end users, so any retrospective adjustment is unlikely to be possible, that it could result in an unjust enrichment of suppliers, substantial administrative burdens and unanticipated exchequer costs. So this isn't a matter of a lack of empathy. It's a matter of making sure that the solutions we come up with together are practical and are workable with a large package of measures in place. We continue to work our way through this challenge. Honest, I really don't understand why you're not listening. Why you're not listening to ordinary people. There's been an outpouring right across the country and you can wave all your graphs all you want, but really listen to people. Listen to ordinary people. There's a young woman who wrote to me. She wrote to lots of people this week, right? And I think it's important just maybe I read out what she said. And listen to this. She says, my own situation is becoming unbearable. Despite being in a dual income household, I haven't been able to afford home heat and oil for three weeks, three weeks without heat, not because I've been irresponsible, but because I simply cannot afford it anymore. And at the same time, I'm paying extortionate rent for a home that I can't even properly live in. Damp is setting in because I can't afford to heat it. I feel trapped. I'm being squeezed from every angle with no relief. And the future feels completely out of reach. She went on to say, I'll never own my own home in this country, despite working full time and doing what I was told, going to college, getting the degree. As a working class child of two working class parents, that dream is gone. There is no pathway forward, only increasing pressure and diminishing hope. They're the people you need to be listening to, not waving your graphs. Listen to ordinary people and respond. And you know, the response this week is you wouldn't cut a single cent of carbon tax from home heat and oil. Honestly, she's in a house that she can't heat for three weeks. She works full time. Her partner does the same and you ignore her this week because you're not listening and you're completely out of touch. No, it's quite the opposite. In fact, quite the opposite. In fact, and people are living through very tough and very challenging times. But deputy Doherty, you've got to be honest with that person who wrote to you as well, your measures. And I'm telling you, like you can talk about waving graphs, but facts matter. I had your measures assessed by officials in my department and they came back and said it wasn't doable and that it would have, and I'm going, no, hang on a second. May I speak please? Thank you. Revenue does not hold records of individual end users when it comes to home heating oil. If we did what you propose, and I'm accepting, I'm accepting, I'm, you are. With regard to a proposed amendment for solid fuel carbon tax, the Sinn Féin amendment proposed a reversion to 2023 rates and backdating the reversal to the 1st of May, 2023. I'm going to write to you deputy and explain to you the practical challenges with your measures. There are practical challenges. But can I also say something? Can I also say something else? Because you had your time and I think the people deserve better than shouting and roaring. You had your time. Can I also make this point? We cannot get through this global economic crisis if every week we come into this house, the proposal is abolish taxes and spend more. That is not a sustainable way through this. Abolish taxes and spending more would not steer us. What I say to that person is we have her back. We've brought in one of the largest packages in the European Union. We've reduced excise. They're benefiting from that at the pump. We've extended fuel emissions and we will work through this together. While you refused to condemn intimidation against Gardaí this week, you refused to stand by. She didn't. She didn't. But you refused and he refuses because you refused to condemn time and time again the blockades. You're now in favour of blockades and we can't be. Hang on. Deputy Dougherty, you put the question that Ornish has attempted to answer. Deputy