Rose Conway-Walsh: Ireland's Energy Rip-Off Must End Now
Rose Conway-Walsh addresses the Dáil on Ireland's energy crisis, condemning record-high electricity prices and the pressure on households. She calls for immediate supports and fundamental reform to stop what she describes as an energy rip-off.
Rose Conway-Walsh outlines how Irish families, carers and workers are coping with the highest electricity prices in Europe. She cites Eurostat figures showing Irish households pay about 40% above the EU average and describes the real-life consequences: parents cutting back on essentials, workers rationing heating and households falling deeper into poverty.
The TD contrasts household costs with corporate energy deals, saying households pay far higher generation and network costs than large users such as data centres. She accuses energy companies of making eye-watering profits during the crisis and questions why the government has not acted.
Conway-Walsh argues the situation is the result of political choices by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and urges measures including household electricity credits and a windfall tax on energy profits. She thanks colleagues for legislation to strengthen the energy regulator, increase transparency, tackle price gouging and prioritise affordability.
The speech closes with a direct call to ministers: accepting Europe’s highest electricity prices as normal is unjust. Conway-Walsh demands urgent support for struggling households and structural reform to reduce reliance on international fossil fuel markets and protect working families from future shocks.
Energy crisis and impact
Rose Conway-Walsh outlines how Irish families, carers and workers are coping with the highest electricity prices in Europe. She cites Eurostat figures showing Irish households pay about 40% above the EU average and describes the real-life consequences: parents cutting back on essentials, workers rationing heating and households falling deeper into poverty.
Cost comparison and corporate profits
The TD contrasts household costs with corporate energy deals, saying households pay far higher generation and network costs than large users such as data centres. She accuses energy companies of making eye-watering profits during the crisis and questions why the government has not acted.
Political responsibility and proposed measures
Conway-Walsh argues the situation is the result of political choices by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and urges measures including household electricity credits and a windfall tax on energy profits. She thanks colleagues for legislation to strengthen the energy regulator, increase transparency, tackle price gouging and prioritise affordability.
Consequences and demand for action
The speech closes with a direct call to ministers: accepting Europe’s highest electricity prices as normal is unjust. Conway-Walsh demands urgent support for struggling households and structural reform to reduce reliance on international fossil fuel markets and protect working families from future shocks.
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Transcript
Go raibh maith agat, Ceann Comhairle. Workers and families across this state are really struggling the weight of the highest electricity prices in Europe and I think we've kind of just normalized the highest electricity prices in Europe and it's not good enough. As we all spoke earlier about nurses on International Nurses Day, they are struggling too. This energy crisis is impacting everyone across the country. Parents and carers are cutting back on essentials, workers are rationing heating and households are falling deeper into poverty simply trying to keep the lights on and keep heat in the house. Yet at the very same time energy companies are making eye-watering profits off the back of this crisis and the latest Eurostat figures confirm that Irish households are paying electricity prices 40% above the EU average and people are asking why? Meaning Irish families are paying on average 480 euro more per household across Europe for a basic necessity and what has been the government's response to shrug its shoulders and pretend that nothing can be done? The head in the sand syndrome. Ireland's energy rip-off is the result of political choices made by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to protect corporate profits instead of working people and families and Sinn Féin is saying tonight enough is enough. Immediate supports like electricity credits are urgently needed to support struggling households but we recognise that temporary measures alone will not solve this crisis. Unless our energy market is fundamentally reformed and our reliance on international fossil fuel markets is significantly reduced households will continue to suffer from one global conflict to the next. I want to thank my colleagues for bringing forward this legislation to give the energy regulator real powers to hold companies to account, to tackle price gouging, to improve transparency and to prioritise affordability. If energy companies are not profiteering then they should have no problem improving it. Workers and their families are carrying an unfair burden while massive corporate energy users receive sweetheart deals. Households are paying double the generation costs and 10 times the network costs of that of data centres. How can that be justified Minister? I've said this before in this house, deciding not to end energy rip-off is a political choice. Government could choose to impose a windfall tax on the eye-watering profits of energy companies. Government could choose to introduce household energy credits but it hasn't. Sinn Féin has always chosen to stand with workers and families and wants to end the rip-off once and for all. The same cannot be said for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Minister, something has to be done. We cannot continue on pretending that Ireland having the highest energy costs in the EU is normal. It is not normal and it is not fair. In fact it is grossly unfair.