Rose Conway-Walsh challenged the Taoiseach in the Dail ahead of Friday's by-elections, saying energy and electricity have become unaffordable for working families, pensioners and vulnerable people. She urged immediate relief in the form of energy credits and referenced legislation she tabled to permanently reduce prices.
Immediate crisis at the doorstep
Rose Conway-Walsh reported what she has heard while going door-to-door: households are rationing heat, cutting back on essentials and living in ongoing anxiety about incoming bills. She framed the issue as urgent for working families, carers and pensioners who say they cannot afford to heat their homes.
Call for policy action
Conway-Walsh directly asked the Taoiseach to introduce energy credits to provide meaningful short-term relief and to consider legislation - recently tabled by her colleagues - that would deliver permanent reductions in energy prices. She argued that government intervention is necessary to prevent further hardship.
Personal testimony and consequences
She relayed a personal encounter with a constituent who wore layers of clothing inside her home and could not turn on the heating, even in driving rain. Conway-Walsh warned that without action the pressure on households will deepen and have serious social consequences.
Political context
The intervention comes in the immediate run-up to by-elections, underlining the political salience of energy costs. Conway-Walsh positioned her questions as both an urgent appeal for relief and a prompt to debate longer-term policy changes on energy pricing.
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I'd like to welcome all the women from Mayo into the gallery but Taoiseach, as we've been going door-to-door and speaking directly with families ahead of the by-elections this Friday, the one issue that's raised more than any other is the unaffordability of energy and electricity. People are afraid to turn on their heating, others are rationing, cutting back on essentials and living in constant anxiety about the next bill arriving through the door. Taoiseach, do you accept that this situation is unsustainable for working families, pensioners, carers and vulnerable people and will you introduce energy credits to reduce the energy costs and provide meaningful relief and will you also look at how, I mean we tabled legislation last week to show how we could permanently reduce energy prices. Taoiseach, something has to be done, we just cannot afford. One woman answered the door to me yesterday, she had layers of clothing on her, she said I cannot turn the heat on, it was pouring rain and it was freezing outside. Taoiseach, we have to do something to help people here and now.
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