Ivana Bacik: Where Are the Cool Heads on Energy and PAYE?

Margaret and I want to acknowledge Margaret Loftus and to salute your courage. Taoiseach, another week has passed and the cost-of-living crisis continues to heap pressure on families who are struggling to make ends meet. When people look to the government to give them some hope you tell them to manage their expectations and they're left wondering what it takes to get the same urgent treatment you afford to sectoral interests. We're left asking the same thing. Taoiseach, every day you stand in the Dáil lecturing us about prudence and restraint and of course you're right to point to global instability as a driver of chaos. It is, clearly, but that instability cannot excuse your inaction here at home. In fact decisive action and cool heads are exactly what we need at a time of chaos. Unfortunately the disarray internationally has infected your government too. Just as Viktor Orban lost his election in Hungary it seems that Minister O'Donovan has lost his sense of humour. Taoiseach, it's clear that Trump has lost the plot and we are all paying the price but your government has lost its touch, not that you ever had it really. Where are the cool heads? Where is the decisive action? Because as the spring economic forecast indicates there is money there. It's how you're spending it that is the problem and nowhere is that problem clearer than in the mixed messages coming from your own cabinet. In here you tell us you're acting prudently but in the media the Tornishtone finance minister has transformed into the Minister for commentary and kite flying, floating a stream of potential budget measures. In recent weeks we've heard about saving scheme tax cuts, changes to inheritance tax. In the past 24 hours alone new income tax measures and energy credits and this morning he's talking about new SEAI grants. Your shed sits are the latest, 14,000 euro tax-free for people with large gardens. Taoiseach, where is the plan? Where are the supports for PAYE workers? This is the failure of your budget last year writ large. It's the original sin of your government's lack of vision and lack of ambition for the country. In October there was no money for the renewables revolution that we need, nothing for universal public childcare, yet you found a billion euro in tax breaks for developers and fast food chains. So the question is obvious, how can you move quickly for some but not for others? When nearly half a million households are in arrears on their energy bills, grocery prices rising and Minister O'Brien warning that electricity prices could go up by up to 9% this summer. You're failing to introduce the systems change that's needed. Other countries like Spain are offering an alternative by investing heavily in renewables, recognising the link between tackling climate action, reducing household bills and securing energy grid. So unlike you, the Spanish government has a vision and Taoiseach, will you give hope to hard-pressed PAYE workers, adopt targeted energy credits, support pay rises and invest in real climate action to insulate against energy shocks? Deputy, I appreciate very much your sincerity in terms of wanting to look after people under pressure. We have a similar position, but I think we need an honest debate as well. You just can't come in here and say we have no vision for investment in the grid. Like where have you been in the last number of months when we announced a 19 billion investment in the grid, up to 19 billion in the PR6, where we put substantial billions of equity into air grid? And why do you come in then and say something that's patently untrue? Per capita I'd say we've invested more than Spain. We're number one in Europe in terms of the integration of renewables to the grid. Number one. That is true. That is true. So let's have an honest debate where we can sort of agree and disagree on the facts. And let's not make up stuff that doesn't have any sort of basis from a factual point of view. And also in terms of the surplus, I repeat, that's going into the funds, the Future Ireland Fund, the Infrastructure and Nature Fund. That then, ISEF manages that. It's been invested in a whole range of areas, including renewables, such as offshore and onshore wind projects, solar farm financing, grid expansion and interconnectors, battery storage systems for renewables, investment platforms for energy developers, funds combining wind and grid scale storage, and then building the energy retrofit programs. There's a whole range of investments out of those funds going into that renewable space and protecting us in terms of developing a low carbon public infrastructure for the future. And EV charging, clean public transport fleets, circular economy waste system, and above all then, a lot going into housing. Equity in housing developments, delivery of nationwide housing supply, and so on and so on. You take the private, social, affordable, mixed tenure schemes. So money's been invested. We're not letting it hang around doing nothing. And I think therefore the more honest position would be, are you suggesting that we would stop the funds, pause investing in the funds? Because of course, they're necessary for the future pressures that will undoubtedly arise because of ageing population and more expenditures that will arise in health services and will arise in terms of looking after older people in our society. Because our lifespan is increasing dramatically as well. But in the meantime, we will be in a position, we've allocated 750 million now in terms of supports. And we've reduced effectively the excise on diesel by 32 cents. That will benefit workers. It benefits everybody, more or less, in society. Petrol is down 27 cents from where it would be if we hadn't intervened. And marked gas oil will be up about 20% when the scheme comes in for contractors. And those are not, I'll come back later on that sectoral thing that you accuse us of doing. And you'll have to acknowledge, in honesty, that the Labour Party supported the funds, that we didn't support any narrowing of the tax base, that we accept, of course, a renewables revolution requires investment and requires money to be invested in it. But if we're having an honest debate, let's talk about the ESRI report, which acknowledged that Ireland has the highest energy prices in Europe, which acknowledged that a huge problem, which you must recognize, is that our electricity prices are being driven by gas prices, and that we are among the countries in the EU with the highest reliance on gas, and that that is extremely costly, a fossil fuel. That we have an extremely high proportion of households still using oil for heating. That we are out of line with other countries which have invested more extensively in renewables, and which are pushing renewables to power electricity generation. Instead of that, your government, particularly since the Green Party left office, your government is relying on an expanding series of data centers which are gobbling up electricity, and relying on the importation of LNG. So where is the vision there? Why aren't we seeing more of a move from subsidizing dirty fuels? Deputy, if you take out the funds, we've put billions into the funds, okay? Well, therefore then we have an exchequer deficit of 1.1 billion. That's what we have. After the funds, the money is allocated to the funds. So we don't have billions of surplus if you accept that the money should go to the funds, and you accept that they should. When they're in the funds, they're being invested and so on under ISEF. But we take your point in terms of the pressures that people are under. And on the renewables, we are investing very significantly. ISEF is investing in many, many projects in respect of the offshore wind and other areas. And I have a full list of the housing area, transport, you name it. And from the sectoral interest point of view, you said we only looked after sectors. But we do need to look after food production. So farmers do need to be supported in terms of food production. Contractors do as well. And that's not narrow sectoral interest. We all benefit if the food production system can produce food at a reasonably affordable price. We need hauliers to get our goods to the shelves of shops in an affordable way.