Thomas Gould slams government over failing finance bill
Thomas Gould attacks the government’s finance bill, saying it fails to help households facing runaway energy and fuel costs. He accuses ministers of sitting on a large surplus while families, pensioners and small businesses struggle and calls for targeted supports.
Key allegations: Thomas Gould details how, at a time when the State had funds, the government did not act to protect workers, pensioners, farmers, hauliers and small businesses from rising energy and living costs. He refers to protests earlier in the year and says people remain without adequate relief for electricity, gas and home heating oil.
Energy and household impact: Gould points to specific pressures - electricity and gas price rises, households borrowing or using savings, and some forced to go cold. He criticises energy companies and argues the measures in the finance bill, such as a partial bill credit, are insufficient for families and pensioners.
Fuel, transport and local services: He raises concerns about impending diesel and petrol increases over the summer and the effect of carbon taxes, while describing local problems like chaotic bus services in Cork. Gould demands a commitment that fuel prices will not increase further and highlights the wider cost-of-living strains.
Demands and consequences: Gould sets out concrete demands: energy credits, a cost-of-living budget for people with disabilities and a reduction in USC for working people. He frames the debate as a choice between using the surplus to support citizens or leaving people to bear higher bills and calls on ministers to stand with the public.
Key allegations: Thomas Gould details how, at a time when the State had funds, the government did not act to protect workers, pensioners, farmers, hauliers and small businesses from rising energy and living costs. He refers to protests earlier in the year and says people remain without adequate relief for electricity, gas and home heating oil.
Energy and household impact: Gould points to specific pressures - electricity and gas price rises, households borrowing or using savings, and some forced to go cold. He criticises energy companies and argues the measures in the finance bill, such as a partial bill credit, are insufficient for families and pensioners.
Fuel, transport and local services: He raises concerns about impending diesel and petrol increases over the summer and the effect of carbon taxes, while describing local problems like chaotic bus services in Cork. Gould demands a commitment that fuel prices will not increase further and highlights the wider cost-of-living strains.
Demands and consequences: Gould sets out concrete demands: energy credits, a cost-of-living budget for people with disabilities and a reduction in USC for working people. He frames the debate as a choice between using the surplus to support citizens or leaving people to bear higher bills and calls on ministers to stand with the public.
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Transcript
Minister, the first thing I want to say is in relation to this finance bill that we're discussing here today is, it just goes to show how this government just doesn't get it. It's another failure. At a time when the government had the money, and knew people were struggling, you could have stepped in. And if people want to throw their minds back to late February and March, when people came onto the streets and the anger that was there. And if you remember Minister, you and this government went on holidays for St Patrick's Day to get out of it, while people were paying double for the home heating oil, while people struggled to pay their bills. And Minister, your government wasn't here Minister. Your government wasn't here doing your job Minister. Where you should have been in this dial, protecting army workers, families, pensioners, farmers, hauliers, small businesses, who are looking for help, who are still looking for help Minister. So you can try to cut me short, you can try to interrupt me, but I'm talking to these people. And I was on the line in Whitegate, and I was on the line in Cork City, and I was on the line down in Yarl. And those people still feel it today. Those people. To over 300,000 people in the rails on electricity. A quarter of people who get gas in the rails. And then you have people who have home heating oil who can't pay their bills, right? Now some people have to use their savings, some people have to borrow from the credit union of families. But some people had to go cold because they didn't have the money to put into the tank for home heating oil. And I know some of those people. And Minister, you might come in here and say, oh we're great boys, right? Electric Ireland have a million customers, they're putting up the cost of electricity by 8%, and by 7.7% in gas. And you're doing nothing to tackle them. What's that famous phrase, you're standing idly by while energy companies come in and they gouge the market. They actually pile the pressure on hard working families. And what are you doing? Half a bill. Half a bill instead of delivering for people. We have pensioners who are afraid to turn on the lights, afraid to boil kettles, afraid to turn on the heating. I know it might be good today, but if you were around for the last couple of days, there would be rallies where people had to put on heating. So where is, where is the support for the hard working people? Where is the support for families? Because can I tell you Minister, this bill isn't it. And like, we talk to people, I remember being known, actually it was outside Super Valley, Harley Hill. And a guy said to me, he's not a farmer, he's not a harlier, he's not in the small business, he's an ordinary working man. And he said he stood by him. The reason he stood by him is because someone had to stand up and be counted and they were there. And Minister, then you talk about over the summer, the price of diesel will go up by 32 cents and the price of petrol will go up by 20. And you use the camouflage of the summer holidays again, you'll run out here, run out the door. And I'm asking you a straight question, will you give a commitment that those prices will not go up? And also, we had the carbon taxes, the increases, right? Have you any idea what ordinary people are dealing with? And I'm in Cork, we have a bus service that's in chaos. Buses not turning up, buses always late, right? And then you're putting extra taxes on people for their diesel and their petrol. Minister, we need support for ordinary people. And the one thing I would say is energy credits, a cost of living budget for people with disabilities and a reduction in the USC for all the hard-working people. These are the things that need to be delivered. Minister, I have a list here, I have a list of stuff where you feel. Will you not stand up now? Stand with the people. We're running a huge surplus and you're sitting on it. We're running a huge surplus and you're sitting on it.