Pearse Doherty: Why the Government is Hoarding €178m

Go raibh maith agat, deas gan coiréan. Before I turn to the issue of energy costs, I want to welcome the release this morning of Irish citizens that were illegally detained on the Gaza aid flotilla. Their illegal detention and treatment by Israeli forces was disgraceful, including the actions and the rhetoric of Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir. It was utterly unacceptable and completely sickening. So Minister, if your comments this morning are to mean anything that the time for words has passed and now it's time for action, what we need is more than progress on the Occupied Territories Bill. I'm hoping you'll join our call that the decks are cleared next week and we actually pass this legislation next week and we sanction Israel. Ag buairc na geairceimh a chosas phoineamh, ta céid seart ma orth bhilion euró a chonaill agaibh ar leachíoch. Báidh iomh na raibh id seo o chuláirtí phoineamh. Agus bhí se agaist é seo chóir tá gréir íoní le linn na geairceimh a chosas mairealtala. Báisinn an chosbhair omlann lís an sceaimh seo agus bhí se agaist chóidh iomh againdháil a thapa o chóir ar phaill da chaeilí a phaibh í brú al mhór de mhair fráisne leachtreachas a bhí dóla méidh go géir agus a bhí agaidh deitimh i ríoraistí agus i bhíachach. Míniste, at the very height of a cost of energy crisis, you're hoarding €178 million of taxpayers' money that was specifically intended to help struggling households pay their electricity bills. This money was collected under an EU emergency intervention designed to claw back excess profits from energy companies and return that money to ordinary people during the cost of living crisis. That was the entire purpose of the scheme, Míniste. It was supposed to provide rapid emergency relief for families that were being hammered over and over again by soaring electricity costs and that were falling into arrears and falling into debt. Yet almost three years on, there's €178 million remaining sitting untouched in that fund. And while you sit on the money, families are being absolutely crushed. Workers who never previously struggled are now under unrelenting pressure and they're being just stretched too far. Workers and pensioners need direct relief. Families trapped in arrears need immediate support, Míniste. Households facing disconnection need help to keep the lights on. Almost 320,000 families right across the state can't pay their electricity bill right here, right now, at this moment. It's the second highest level ever recorded in the history of the state and it's gone up by 58,000 families in one year alone. Disconnections, Míniste, in the first two months of this year were up a shocking 64% when we compare it to the same period last year. That's what's happening under your watch and the €178 million goes untouched. Ireland has now some of the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. Families are rationing heat and electricity because they simply can't afford these bills. And all the while this is happening, you continue to refuse, point blank, to introduce energy credits for struggling households. Míniste, families across the state will conclude that you move faster to protect the money than to protect the people the money was intended for. This isn't an administrative delay. No, that's not what we're talking about here. This is a cold, hard political choice by Finlay Gael and Fianna Fáil. So I'm going to ask you directly on behalf of all of the people out there who are finding it really, really tough to pay these sky-high bills. Why, and under God, do you not use the fund for what was intended for, to help these families pay these bills? How can you possibly justify hoarding this money when workers, families, pensioners are sinking deeper and deeper into energy poverty? And will you now finally commit to using this fund for the purpose that it was intended today, which is direct emergency energy credits and a cost of living support for struggling households? Thank you Deputy. If I could just at the outset be given an opportunity to inform the House of exactly the current situation with the 14 Irish citizens that have been detained. This government has been very clear in condemning the actions of the Israeli government, the illegal detention and detainment of our citizens and many others in international waters. The behaviour this week again then by an Israeli minister has been completely appalling and my priority in that of government has been to make sure that our citizens are safe, that they are accounted for and that they can get home as quickly as possible. I can now confirm that the 14 Irish citizens that were being detained in Israel have arrived at the airport in Raman. They are all being transported then via airline to Istanbul and we will have an ambassador there on the ground to meet with them directly. We have consistently called for access and the ability to engage directly with them by our teams and that has been denied of us and I want to utterly condemn these actions and say that it is not acceptable, whether it's the Irish government or any other government, that we have been prevented from engaging and speaking directly to our citizens. I'm also aware that there are reports that two citizens have been hospitalised. They are not Irish citizens. Again, this information has been brought to my attention but we are aware and I'm aware of reports that others have been injured and I will as soon as I can provide an update to the House as to whether or not that includes any Irish citizens. But again, let me be very clear, these actions, the illegal detention, the way in which our citizens have been detained, we all saw the footage and are horrified by it, but also the fact that we have not had direct contact with our citizens, it is completely acceptable. So not only have we condemned this, not only have I condemned this and engaged and written directly to Israeli authorities, but we are working to build a consensus, I am working to build a consensus within the EU to make sure that this is not just words and condemnation, but that we respond appropriately. And the most appropriate way in which we can respond to this is by making sure the proposal that has been on the table since last year by the Commission, that is to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel association agreement, that that is voted on and that Europe sends a very strong message that we do not accept this kind of behaviour, but that also there is movement when it comes to banning trade in the illegal settlements. From our perspective and from my perspective I can confirm that I will bring forward OTB legislation in the coming weeks irrespective of whether or not we reach a consensus at a European level and we will enact this legislation as I have committed to as Minister for Foreign Affairs and as this government has committed to in our programme for government. In relation to the overall prices and the scenario that many people find themselves in, we all want to do everything that we can to ensure that we reduce cost price, that we reduce energy prices for people, but that we make it more affordable in the long term. We all know that there are a number of different factors that have impacted on the cost of energy, on the cost of fuel, on the cost of electricity, not least the conflict in the Middle East and the escalating conflict in Iran in recent weeks. This is on top of the conflict that's been happening in Ukraine. Again, in my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, my priority at a European level is to engage with our partners in the Middle East, to engage with our partners in the US and beyond to bring this conflict to an end, because that is the first point in making sure that we can de-escalate the situation and see cost reducing overall for people. In the medium term and in the immediate term, we have been introducing measures to support homeowners. The €750 million that we are providing directly to homeowners, that is on top of measures that have been introduced since last year. So excise is already zero rated on home heating oil. It's not possible to reduce it further, but we made a decision last year that we needed to respond directly, and that is what we have done. The fuel allowance, which supports over 400,000 people, those who are directly and most impacted by the increase in cost in fuel, that has been extended, so a further 50,000 households have benefited from that particular payment, and it's been extended by four weeks, again to take into consideration the situation that people are in. But that's not to say we won't do more, Deputy. We have another budget coming up. We acknowledge the stress that people are under, and we will continue to provide them direct support as well as trying to reduce the overall long-term costs. We will be writing to the Taoiseach on the Tanaiste next week. Decks should be cleared. We should be passing the Occupied Territories Bill. Not progress, not months, no more delays. Action. This has been going on for years. But listen, see in terms of the cost of energy, you're missing the point, and you're trying to dress it up in a way that supports the Government narrative, but the fundamental facts remain unchanged. While families are struggling to keep the lights on, Minister, you're sitting on a fund of €178 million that was specifically designed to help these very same families to pay their electricity bills. Almost 320,000 households can't pay their electricity right here, right now. Electricity disconnections are rising sharply, up 64% compared to this time last year, and many working families are now falling into debt simply trying to pay basic electricity bills. And the resources are there, the fund is there, but you've chosen not to use it in the way that it's supposed to be. Instead of putting money back into workers' pockets that are struggling, you've allowed this fund to go largely untouched, while energy poverty is increasing and increasing and increasing. So I'm going to ask you again, a very direct question, why on under God are you not using the €178 million that's sitting there for the last three years that is specifically designed to be put back into the pockets of ordinary people to help them pay their electricity bills? Do you not understand what is happening out there in the real world, Minister? That's not on its own. That's on top of the direct supports that we have provided over recent years. That's €178 million, Deputy, you're talking about, €750 million alone in the last month and a half. That is on top of the additional fuel allowance that we have provided. That is on top of the retrofitting, can I say, that's taking place. Because actually the best thing that we can do for people is make sure that their overall energy bills come down. We have a target of 74,000 homes that we want to retrofit this year. That's on top of the hundreds of thousands of people that have had their homes retrofitted, where they're now seeing an overall reduction and a long-term reduction in the cost of their energy bills. If you look at the ERSRI report in April, what they've said is the most effective supports are those targeting the least well-off and that is exactly what we are doing. We are targeting the ones who need our help the most.