Richard Boyd Barrett warns of energy poverty, backs Feb 28 protest
Richard Boyd Barrett spoke about energy poverty and the planned Affordable Ireland Coalition demonstration on 28 February, urging an emergency winter payment and additional disability cost supports. He said removal of energy credits and a lack of action on energy company profiteering have left older people and people with disabilities particularly exposed during winter.
Planned protest and demands
The Affordable Ireland Coalition, which Richard Boyd Barrett said includes disability groups, pensioners and trade unions, will hold a major demonstration on 28 February. At the centre of the protest is a demand for an emergency winter payment and for measures to address the cost of disability payments.
Energy poverty and vulnerable groups
Boyd Barrett told the debate that energy poverty is central to the campaign and that vulnerable people - older people and people with disabilities - have been particularly badly hit during the winter months. He criticised the removal of energy credits and criticised the lack of government action on energy company profiteering as drivers of hardship.
Government's defence in the debate
A government deputy responded by outlining budget measures they said target energy pressures, including reducing the battery rate to 9% and keeping it until 2030, and increasing the fuel allowance by €5, which was described as benefiting about 450,000 recipients. The deputy also defended the use of energy credits and argued that one-off payments are unsustainable.
Budget measures and longer-term strategy
In the exchange the deputy argued the government has embedded permanent measures in the budget, pointing to investment in infrastructure, a retrofitting programme and a claim that the budget is the biggest ever. The deputy also warned that a large share of revenue comes from corporate tax and said resources should be targeted to those most in need rather than repeated one-off payments.
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T-Shock, among other things, the report deals with the issue of energy poverty, and it might be of interest to the T-Shock to know that disability groups, pensioners groups, trade unions and many others as part of the Affordable Ireland Coalition, recently established, will be holding a major demonstration on the Affordable Ireland Coalition, which involves many disability groups, trade union groups, pensioners groups and others are holding a major protest on the 28th of February, and at the centre of that is a demand that this government bring in, even at this late stage, a winter payment, an emergency winter payment, and indeed beyond that cost of disability payments. But energy poverty is at the centre of it, and how vulnerable people, older people, people with disabilities get particularly hard hit and have been particularly hard hit during the winter months. The removal of the energy credits, the lack of action by the government to the profiteering of energy companies is resulting in energy poverty. Thank you, Deputy Murphy. So what are you going to say to people suffering from energy poverty? Deputy Murphy. I think Deputy Boyd Barrett was the first into the fray in terms of the winter payment and so forth. The government took a lot of measures on energy in the budget to 9%, reducing that to 9%, the battery rate, and keeping it there until 2030. The working family payment, including that in the fuel allowance, increasing the fuel allowance by €5, so a very substantial number of people now benefiting, about 450,000 recipients now of the fuel allowance. And you seem to be supporting the energy credit as well. You are supporting millionaires getting the energy credit. I just the left wing in this country never cease to amaze me. But the bottom line is, when we do, we have the most progressive tax system. We have. We have a very progressive income tax system. By any yardstick. By any yardstick. Which is quite substantial and effective. But the bottom line anyway is that we are targeting the resources to those who need it most. Yes, there is pressure on energy. Of that there is no doubt. But to keep doing two to three billion on one off payments is not sustainable. One third of our revenue is corporate tax. That may not last forever. We need to embed measures into the permanent budget. Which is what we did beginning in this budget. Huge investment in infrastructure. Investment in the retrofitting program. Biggest budget ever. Supporting fuel poverty. Investing in other areas as well to try and reduce the pressure on people. And in terms of other income disregards for micro generation and so forth.
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