Conor D McGuinness: Home Heating Oil Left Out of Support

Thank you Comhairle, and I will take this question from the floor to Louise O'Reilly. I am aware of rising energy costs, which are being driven by the global uncertainty caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. These are affecting everybody in society, including communities and civil society organisations. This week the government has agreed on a €250 million package to alleviate the impact of the rise in energy costs caused by this conflict. These measures, which include measures administered by my other department, the Department of Social Protection, will assist those most in need of financial support. In terms of the Department of Rural Community Development and the Gaelic sector, significant levels of financial support are currently being provided by Minister Buttermore to community organisations under a number of different programmes and schemes, with a budget estimate for the department totalling €611 million, funding of €260 million available for community development programmes in 2026. A particular focus of community development is to support marginalised and disadvantaged communities and those who are most likely to be hit hardest by rising energy costs. An allocation of €74 million is being provided to the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme and other social inclusion measures in 2026. CSP currently supports the delivery of 445 local services via 426 organisations, and we have announced new funding for CSP this year. The scheme to support national organisations currently provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of 82 organisations who address poverty, social exclusion and promote equality. The Local Enhancement Programme is providing small grants to community groups to enhance facilities with supports available to community centres, local development associations, social clubs, senior citizens' groups, men's and women's sheds. I believe the financial package introduced by the Government will reduce the pressure being experienced by households and communities. At present, we do not have any plans to introduce additional funding supports for community and voluntary organisations, but we continue to monitor the situation very closely. Thank you. The package of measures that were announced this week, I think the general consensus amongst the public, and certainly on this side of the House, is that it was much too late and far too little. It does not go anywhere near the kind of intervention that is needed in our society at the moment, in light of the current crisis and the legal war in the Middle East and the ensuing increase in fuel and energy costs, but in light as well of the broader context of increasing energy poverty and increasing cost of living crisis. It does precious little for households across the state, but a lot of these crises are being particularly felt in rural communities. The dependence on diesel and petrol for transport is more pronounced in many of these communities, and there's a particular dependence as well on home heating oil in rural communities. The fact that home heating oil was not included in that package of measures in any meaningful sense has left people agog and deeply, deeply disappointed, and angry, I might mention as well, Minister. But just to put an additional question to you, the fairly, I would say, mean extension of the fuel allowance, will that be paid out as a lump sum, or will that be paid out on a weekly basis? I think people really want to know if that will have because for intervention in a meaningful way in their lives. Thank you. Well, Deputy, there was consensus on the vote. You're the only party to oppose the reduction in excise duty. Every other party in the House supported it. 467,204 people will get fuel allowance. That's an extension of four weeks. That's an investment of 71 million euro. The majority of those actually live in rural counties, and the majority of the recipients of the fuel allowance payment will live in rural counties. That's 152 euro. That will be, my understanding, Deputy, and I'll just clarify this with you again, it will be paid weekly. It's to get it to people. We want to get it to people as quickly as is possible. And that will make a difference, 152 euro extra to bring the fuel allowance season right to the week, the week ending the 1st of May. And that's a five euro increase this year as well. And also, for the first time, just under 50,000 families who are in seat of the working family payment are also getting fuel allowance. And again, working family payment are right across the country, including in rural Ireland. We've said we will keep the position under review. Were we to adopt your position and react to every crisis by throwing cash out, we would not have the capacity to deliver. We would not have the capacity to keep things under review and put further investments in if this situation in the Middle East continues. Minister, there's 750,000 people that are dependent on home heating oil. There are many hundreds of thousands of families that are already in very, very significant energy arrears with bills. People who are going cold, who are rationing heat and electricity in their own homes because of the wider crisis, the existing cost of living crisis that existed before the war against Iran. And that is the reality that the proposals and the measures are not tackling, that they're not facing up to. And nobody would criticize 152 euros extra paid out over four weeks to bring people up to May. But it's not nearly enough. And it doesn't address all those who aren't in receipt of fuel allowance who are struggling. And it doesn't come anywhere near addressing the huge backlogs and arrears that people are in. So we need to see more action. And then just finally on the community civil society organizations, many of them are already struggling. Talking to CICAP and leader companies yesterday, they received no core funding to implement those programs. So they're already pinned to their collar in terms of overheads and costs to keep themselves running. And it's putting both those programs and also the myriad of other schemes and projects and programs that they operate in real jeopardy. Just in relation, Deputy Acting Assurer, in relation to the leader companies, they have a substantial administration budget to do that. And we're working with them closely to make sure that they invest it. And we continue, as I said, to monitor the position. And we will continue to do that. But we can do that because we have a strong economy. We can do that because we've made decisions that are sensible, that are evidence-based over many years. And I think the 250 million euro investment is one of the biggest in Europe. When you look at what's happening in the UK, where they've invested, I think, 35 million sterling, that gives you a sense that we're doing this in a targeted way. Those 467,000 people are families on fuel loans. That's a big difference to those families. As I said, for the first time, fuel loans extended to working families. And they're spread right across the country in rural areas and in cities. And that is making a difference immediately. So we, because of our economic policies that are focused, that are ambitious, we are in a position to put 250 million in at this point. We continue to keep the position under review. Your position, your party's position is to throw money at everything. Were we to follow that position, we would not have the resources available that we have now. Thank you.