Pearse Doherty: Act Now - Energy Credits for Struggling Families

Thank you. I'd like to start by saying that the figures from the CRU are 5.5% of the total household income. The first quarter of the year now, there are more than 10 million pounds of household income in the country. And the households don't make a single cent because they can't afford to pay as much as they used to in those figures. A large number of people are living in their own homes and families with young children. There is a significant increase in child poverty in Ireland and the rest of the world. And a large number of families are struggling to make ends meet. Other measures are now being taken by local authorities. What exactly are you doing about this? And what measures are you taking to ensure that the first thousand households are getting what they deserve, and the money they need to support their families? And 183,000 families who can't pay their gas bills. And these figures only tell part of the story, Minister. They don't include households who silently disconnect because they can't afford to top up a pay-as-you-go meter. For those living alone, for families with young children, these choices have real consequences on health, on well-being, and on quality of life. And yet, while record numbers of households are not able to pay for their basic energy needs, we see energy companies once again announce that they're going to hike up energy costs. At a time when many families are already trying to keep pace with rising costs, energy bills are set to rise again. Last week, the biggest energy supplier in this state, Electric Ireland, announced sharp increases, and there wasn't a peep out of views on Cabinet or from Government. Minister, you point to economic growth, your Government points to tax records, revenues, you point to budget surpluses running into billions of euros, but none of these things can reduce the bills that are landing on the kitchen tables each month. And none of these things change the reality facing hundreds of thousands of families that are struggling with the cost of essential services. And people, Minister, are exhausted after years of rising costs. They have cut back where they can, they've adjusted their own budgets, and they've absorbed increase after increase, but many feel that there's no end in sight. And the most frustrating thing, as this is all happening at a time when there's unprecedented financial resources at Government's disposal. Your Government claims to understand the pressures that people are under, but the regulators' own figures tell a very, very different story. They show that financial pressures remain severe for many households, despite repeated assurances that conditions are improving. Minister, for the first time ever, there's more than half a million households across the state in energy arrears, and families are facing prices going up yet again. You still have an opportunity to act before the latest price increases take effect, and timely action now, including energy credits, would ease the pressure on workers, on families, on pensioners who are already struggling to keep up. So my question to you is, will you act now? Will you listen? Will you provide energy credits as an immediate solution for people who are really struggling? And what is your answer to the hundreds of thousands of families that are facing mounting energy costs and financial strain? Minister Bourke. Thank you, Asa Kancora, and I thank Deputy Daugherty for his question, on an area which is very close to the concern of the Government in relation to energy affordability in our country, and the ability for households to pay. And one thing the Government does keep a very close track of is those who are in arrears for 90 days, which is a critical component which shows stress over a period of time. So I want to outline what the Government is doing to really reduce costs for the kitchen table, as you put it, Deputy. First of all, we came forward with a record level in an EU context per capita of an intervention to support families right across the country. We're supporting families with the cost of fuel, very significantly for those who are commuting to work, for families who are working, and for families who are trying to heat their home. By reduction in excise duties across all components, from a €16 reduction in petrol, a €19 reduction in diesel per fill, and looking at the logistics, how food is produced to reduce the cost of groceries in the shelves to consumers, we've done a huge package for agriculture in terms of production, and in haulage, with a 30% or 60% increase in the diesel rebate scheme, again underwriting the cost to the housewife and homemaker and person in the home, and ensuring they get that key support. There are a few areas I also want to comment on in relation to how we get energy independence and reduce the cost to the family. First of all, we have at this point in time 258,000 homes who have went through energy improvements. We have fully funded 32,700 under the Warmer Homes Scheme. That's 32,700 families across the country that have had that support. We've brought forward 18,000 heat pumps, again supporting people, and using money raised by the state, with about €558 million up to €640 million, through those schemes, through SCAI, targeting the most vulnerable in society. And I know, Deputy, when you brought forward your proposals earlier on this year in terms of your motion, you left out the fuel allowance. No recompense to support people, the most vulnerable, in a target way, which is key and which is absolutely needed. The government's position is very clear. We stood up the National Affordability Taskforce to look at affordability right across the economy, to the household and particularly to the most vulnerable. And that report will be published in advance of consideration for the budget. And we will be looking at, through that report, in the first instance, energy price, secondly, addressing energy poverty and consumer protections, which are very important, as well as energy affordability. I would ask people who are struggling to, first of all, to engage with your supplier. Minister O'Brien has been very clear in meeting all the energy companies, working with them to ensure that people are not cut off who engage with them to support them. We'll be coming forward, obviously, as a government, collectively, with other measures in the context of the next budget. And as you've seen in previous budgets, we were agile. We reacted before the calendar turned and supported families right across the economy and supported the most vulnerable, which is key to our targeted measures in the current budget, which still are being utilised and are supporting families as we speak. So it's key that we ensure we continue to support families. We'll be doing that through evidence-based initiatives, through our National Affordability Taskforce, through supporting customers who are in arrears. I would also say to people who are in trouble to reach out to our Department of Social Protection, where you have a range of supports from the Additional Needs Payment, working with families to ensure that no one gets cut off. And right now, we know that the fuel allowance has increased significantly, €150 a month, again to support families in a targeted measure, which now has about 460,000 homes right across the economy who are in support of it. And we extended it this year to the Work and Family Payment, bringing 50,000 more families into the support and linking it to work as well, supporting people who are working right across the economy. Minister, you and your government withdrew energy credits in last year's budget. That's why we're seeing what's happening now. We have record numbers of families across the state who can't pay their electricity or gas bill. That is on you. We are paying the highest electricity costs in Europe. And the electricity companies have just told us that they're going to jack up prices again. In less than three weeks, 1.2 million families across the state are going to face near double-digit increases on electricity and gas prices. And what's your response? Wait to see what we'll do in next year's budget. That's not good enough, Minister. You need to call in the energy companies, and you need to say to them that these increase after increase after increase is simply not on. But the government also needs to have direct intervention. The government needs to bring forward energy credits right now. You have to understand the scale of the problem. There are people coming to me who had never a problem paying their electricity bill, never a problem paying their gas bill, but because of the relentless price increases after price increases after price increases, they now can't pay their bills, Minister. The penny needs to drop. Half a million households is massive. So I'm asking you very clearly, will you act now, before these increases take effect in three weeks' time, and bring forward energy credits? And will you rein in the companies here and tell them that we cannot face these energy increases time after time while they make multi-million profits? We are acting now at a record level, right now in the economy, supporting people at the fuel pumps, supporting people through electricity reductions and VAT rates. We are supporting people right across the economy to ensure that they are not cut off. Minister O'Brien has met with all the energy companies and given the government an assurance that anyone who works with energy companies in relation to their bill, they will be supported. And I would say, quite critically, that you have brought forward a number of measures that you said you cost 100 million a month that you would bring forward at the start of this energy crisis. The government is doing much more than that. And critically what you do, you say the government is doing nothing this side of the border, but stand the other side of the border and you actually are doing nothing. So we are acting at a record level, we are supporting families and we will continue to do that through the National Affordability Taskforce, looking at energy affordability, looking at protecting consumers and looking at energy policy. And we always have acted in the past and we will continue to do so to protect the most vulnerable in society.