Brian Brennan: Urgent call to protect pensioners & boost renewables
Brian Brennan addresses rising fuel costs and urges continued supports as winter approaches. He asks the government to include home heating oil relief in the budget and to accelerate solar and offshore wind to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Brian Brennan welcomes today's resolution and warns that the situation has changed since July: fuel costs are rising across the board and instability in the Middle East makes future shocks likely. He insists supports must remain under review with no fixed deadline so government can react to shifting geopolitical risks.
Brennan proposes a rapid roll-out of solar panels on houses, industrial premises, schools and sheds and calls for planning to be expedited for offshore wind. He cites a stalled proposal for 53 turbines and frames renewables as the route to taking control of Ireland's energy and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Support under review
Brian Brennan welcomes today's resolution and warns that the situation has changed since July: fuel costs are rising across the board and instability in the Middle East makes future shocks likely. He insists supports must remain under review with no fixed deadline so government can react to shifting geopolitical risks.
Renewables and energy independence
Brennan proposes a rapid roll-out of solar panels on houses, industrial premises, schools and sheds and calls for planning to be expedited for offshore wind. He cites a stalled proposal for 53 turbines and frames renewables as the route to taking control of Ireland's energy and reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Charles Ward
Charles Ward: Government Ignored Warnings as Costs Soared
Michael Healy-Rae
Michael Healy-Rae: Cut Fuel Taxes to Support Rural Ireland
Pearse Doherty
Pearse Doherty: Won't Back Fuel Tax Increases
Ken O'Flynn
Ken O'Flynn: Calls 21-Page Plan 'Sticking Plaster'
Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Paul Nicholas Gogarty: Wartime Energy Wake-up Call
Ivana Bacik
Ivana Bacik: Government Has Money but No Vision on Cost of Living
Transcript
Thank you. I warmly welcome today's resolution. It's very clear that we are in a completely different situation than we were in July. The fuel costs are continuing to increase right across the board. There's no sign of stability in the Middle East. Over the last two months, I've met many of my constituents, the likes of Breen Transport down there in Ferns, many bus and taxi companies right across Gowrie and Arklow. And it's very obvious that in a rural constituency, that the agriculture sector are hugely concerned about fuel costs. I've also met the ordinary commuters, the ordinary people that are getting up every morning, and it is a huge concern among so many. I'd like to ask two things. Number one, that these supports remain under review, and there must be no deadline on that. We simply do not know what is around the geopolitical corner. I ask, as the winter is around the corner, we address the home heating oil in the budget to find a way to offer support. Pensioners are genuinely scared of what is going to happen this winter. These are people who paid their taxes. They've made huge contributions to their communities in our towns and villages, and their voices may not be as loud as many as others, but our pensioners deserve to be heard. But what we need is a solution. Because as sure as night follows day, it might not be in Ukraine, it might not be the Straits of Hormuz, we will be back here again. We will face another geopolitical situation where fuels will increase yet again. Why not look at solar and continue to roll out? There should be solar panels on every house, every industrial premises, every school and every shed in Ireland. You look at the Irish Sea out there. Tonight, not one bulb has been lit off the Irish Sea. There's a planning in there off the coast of Arklay for 53 wind turbines, and it is tied up in planning. This must be expedited. We need this because we need to take control of our own energy. We are too dependent on imported fossil fuels. Thank you.