Holly Cairns: Government unprepared as fuel protests surge

Margaret, Ceann Comhairle. Taoiseach, this government was totally unprepared for the protests that swept the country last week. But how? After all, this did not erupt spontaneously overnight. The signs were there. They weren't even subtle. I think there's a lack of empathy at play here. And I know, Taoiseach, that you'll take great exception to the fact that I'm saying this. You'll claim that we don't have a monopoly on empathy or compassion. But I really would ask you to reflect on what happened last week and your government's reaction to it. There was unquestionably a deficit of empathy, a lack of foresight. What transpired was foreseeable, predictable, and avoidable. And the fact that you didn't foresee it, predict it, or avoid it calls into question your competence. The government talks about the cost-of-living crisis as if it suddenly emerged six weeks ago when Trump invaded Iran. There seems to be no understanding of the level of stress and worry that people have endured for years. Week after week, we come in here and highlight the need for an emergency payment for disabled people, for investment in renewable energy, for targeted supports to the people who are struggling the most. Because the cost of simply existing in this country is growing and growing and growing, and it is crushing people. There is no let up, no relief, and little to no help from government. That is why people were on the streets last week. Taoiseach, everybody understands that the government doesn't control international oil prices. But these fuel price shocks were a tipping point for so many people. And the package of measures that you brought forward will be very little comfort to so many of them. Incredibly, it does nothing to bring down the cost of home heating oil. 700,000 households all over the country are reliant on home heating oil. The cost has soared by 70% in just a month. And nothing has been done to bring that cost down. Taoiseach, you constantly say that we have no solutions, but the Social Democrats have been consistently asking you introduce targeted supports to those who need it the most. We gave the government another opportunity on our proposals today. The Dáil debated a Social Democrats motion this morning which proposed a targeted 400 euro energy credit for low and middle income earners, the creation of a supplementary mileage scheme for essential workers, and a doubling of solar grants to help people reduce their energy costs by hundreds per year. The government is voting against those proposals, refusing to listen, refusing to act. Taoiseach, why won't you introduce targeted supports to people who need it the most? Well, Deputy, first of all, the government, actually before any blockade, were in discussions with the Road Haulage Association, with the IFA, and with farm contractors. And in fact, we had introduced a 250 million package about three or four weeks ago in this House. And as I said earlier, we've been introducing cost of living packages on an ongoing basis, and the budget had some significant measures, the Dash Plus scheme, for example, to help low-income families in particular, the fuel allowance and so on. Everybody accepts that people are under enormous pressure, everybody in the House does, because of global crisis and because of the war in particular has exacerbated and prices have shot up, and that has really caused concern. Now, I don't think you predicted last week. You said very little last week at all, fair enough. Sorry, you said nothing. Last Sunday I think was your first speech, but that's fine. But I'm just making the point, okay? And I accept fully in terms of more investment in solar. We've invested a lot in solar, and we'll do more. Now, it's a 750 million package on top of the budget. We have a further winter to go. We don't know where the war is going to go, what trajectory, what's happening in the state of Hormuz. There are two dimensions to this. Supply, which is critical, and that's why I couldn't understand why the blockade of an oil refinery and why we can't get consensus, that that makes no sense, because it just leads to a scarcity of fuel and it leads to more prices going up. Surely we can all agree in the House that that's not, is not the correct way to protest, because you damage jobs and you damage the economy. That's a reasonable point to make, and I shouldn't be condemned for making it. And I'm not condemning anyone other than saying protest absolutely. In fact, it's important we have protest. It's important we have people advocating and agitating for change in society. I believe passionately in that. But I also believe in human rights for people. And there was a letter, I just received an email earlier in terms of people who belonged to a particular group, and they said they had to leave. They couldn't believe what happened in Whitegate. There's a lot went on that no one here is prepared to call out, about lorry drivers being intimidated, about a GA club being up online targeted because buses were parking there, and the bus company being targeted and intimidated. So these are elements. The vast majority of people were reasonable, decent people who correctly were highlighting and identifying fuel protests. But it is disturbing. And it's okay, I accept fully that the opposition want government to get a kicking, and I don't expect you to come in defending government, that's accepted. But it is disturbing that you don't have the courage of your conviction in calling out that. Thank you, I think there's an element of people out there who are afraid to say, not even in politics, but people out in the community who feel intimidated to articulate a view. That's unfortunately where we are. Deputy Kearns. Taoiseach, it's undoubtedly welcome that the government is engaged with hauliers and farmers. That was obviously very desperately needed. What is unbelievable is that you still don't seem to be listening or engaging with people who are struggling. I asked you about home heating oil, 700,000 households reliant on home heating oil. It's gone up 70% in the space of a month. I'm asking about disabled people who are out protesting because they simply couldn't afford to live before any of this. I'm asking about single parents, ordinary families who are so hard pressed, and all you do is come back and try to attack the Social Democrats. You talk about investment in solar. It is unbelievable that the government is not focusing on investment in solar. Never before has it been so exposed how vulnerable we are to be so reliant on fossil fuels. Your investment in solar predominantly benefits data centres, not ordinary people. There's a million homes eligible for solar, 10% of them have them. They are the households that are going to afford price shocks. We're asking you to extend grants to people who need to be protected from price shocks. First of all, I welcome constructive proposals with respect to solar. We are investing in solar. Solar is actually doing very well and is growing very fast as a contributor to energy. I think there's a very strong potential in solar. We're supporting ordinary people in terms of the installation of solar panels on their roofs. We've created a retrofitting industry in the last five years in this country to successive investment and commitment, and that remains. On the cost of disability, we've made it clear, and Minister Derek Leary is working in consultation with stakeholder groups to once and for all do a proper programme and provision in respect of a cost of disability payment. It's not simple, and it's better that we do it systemically, embedded in the budgets of the future. That's what we're committed to doing, just as we reduced our significantly increased threshold around the carers allowance, which was a substantial measure in the budget, just as we put an extra £500 million into disability to improve services for people with disabilities. Thank you. I now call on the Independent Technical Group.