Pearse Doherty: Government left people with disabilities €1,400 worse off

You weren't sitting around the cabinet table, obviously as a senior minister, but the 15 ministers who sat around that cabinet table last October and made a decision to withdraw energy credits, made a decision to leave people with disabilities €1,400 worse off. At a time when you knew that prices were going to continue to go up, at a time when you knew that so many families were under pressure, what did you think was going to happen? What was going to happen is what we have seen materialise in front of our eyes. More and more people have fallen under, into financial pressure. More and more families each month now cannot pay their electricity bills, cannot pay their gas bills. I say it when I'm talking to people, that sometimes we get numb to the numbers, that numbers like half a million sometimes just roll off our tongue. But 320,000 families not being able to pay their electricity bills, 180,000 families not being able to pay their gas bills is massive. Many of those families have two or three or four people in that household. And just think about what that looks like. Think about how many times Crow Park would have to be filled over and over and over and over again with the people who cannot pay their basics in the Ireland of 2026, who can't pay their electricity, who can't pay their gas. You could fill Crow Park 10 times over and still outside there would be queues of people, young and old, who are saying, I also can't pay my electricity, I also can't pay my gas bill. And the decision of the government was to withdraw the only support that they relied on, knowing, knowing that the pressure was getting worse, that inflation was continuing to rise, and that you withdrew the support. And what you did to people with disability, by leaving them €1,400 worse off, was disgraceful. Disgraceful. And I called it out on budget night. The cost of disability is real. Is real. And we thought that the government finally understood that, when they actually paid a lump sum that was higher for people with disability in the past. But instead what you did was you took away those supports that people depended on. That's why so many people are angry, are frustrated, and under serious pressure now. So there is policies that you can deliver that would actually see benefits to people right here and right now. I talked earlier on about this legislation. That the only guarantee the Irish people have is that carbon tax is going up to make petrol and diesel dearer, to make home heat and oil dearer, to make the cost of your gas dearer, to make the cost of a bag of coal dearer. And the only guarantee they have is Fianna Fáil and Finlay Gael are going to put it up every single year for the next four years. No guarantee in terms of what people in social welfare depend on, how much more that they can expect in the next couple of years, or people with disability. There is no legislation to say what it's going to look like for them. It is wrong what yous are doing here. The only thing I can say is that yous are hurting the lives of the people of this country and you can't afford to do anything about it. And that hurts the lives of all the people of this country. And it was against it that yous brought this legislation here, against the people of this country, that yous put up the price of diesel at 32 cents on the first day of June. That yous put up the price of petrol at 7 cents on the first day of June. That yous put up the price of petrol and diesel again in mid-October. And that yous put up the price of oil at 10 cents. And that's the reason yous are here in this country. That's the reason why we have put up this legislation to ensure that there is equality between people in this country, regardless of their nationality. When there are 300,000 and 500,000 people living in this country, you can't afford to pay for electricity and you can't afford to pay for gas in Ireland. And that's the reason we have put up this legislation, that there is equality, that people understand each other. There is money in this country, but there is no political power there. So I agree with this legislation, but I also agree with the right that yous have put up the price of diesel, regardless of whether or not you put up the price of diesel here in Ireland. of an issue that's happening in the Middle East. That is not of the government's making. I think we can all agree that. And that is what has been the biggest driver in the cost of energy since that crisis began. And as a consequence, and in reply to that, government did take corrective actions, not once but twice, to the tune of €750 million. And we're never going to agree, because no matter how much we did on this side of the House, those on the other side of the House will say you should have done more and you should have gone further, and don't even recognise that we made interventions one of the largest across the EU. Taoiseach today, in leaders' questions, gave a firm commitment that the situation would be kept under continuous review. But we have to acknowledge, and thankfully, that the price of a barrel of crude oil is much lower now than it was at its peak. Thankfully, the signs seem positive in relation to a deal, in terms of a peace deal, in the Middle East. And that will hopefully open up the Straits of Hormuz, which will see a huge increase in the supply, which will hopefully bring down the cost of oil even further. So we have to be agile and responsive to what is happening on the international stage, because it's what's happening on the international stage which is affecting the cost of energy in Ireland today. It has been exposed to difference in relation to people on the opposition benches, in relation to the benefits of carbon tax. Most recent budget search, or the most recent votes, identified that. There is a sizable majority in this Dáil that support it, and support what has been done in relation to ensuring the measures and the revenue that is generated by carbon tax is reinvested to protect those who need the greatest support through fuel allowance, through social welfare payments, investment in agriculture and environmental schemes in the agriculture sector, and in terms of through SAI grants to help people retrofit their own homes. And for those who need it the most, in terms of people who are at risk of energy poverty, those in receipt of social welfare, fuel allowance, a deep retrofit. And the tens of thousands of homes that have benefited from that welcome that. And as somebody who assists people, as I acknowledge everybody does in this chamber, assists people on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, in our clinics, in our constituencies, you talk to anybody who has had the benefit of a deep retrofit in terms of their fuel allowance, and the benefit they will talk to in relation to the improved quality of life in their home, but also into the huge reduction in terms of their energy that they're spending on a weekly or a monthly or a bi-monthly basis in terms of heating their home. That's a permanent support in terms of people who are at risk of energy poverty. That is a permanent benefit that we have been able to do because of the carbon tax. And that's not acknowledged when you get up to speak Deputy Daugherty, ever, in terms of the benefits that it's had. So I think I've outlined that our budgetary process has commenced, and we will be looking at, and I do acknowledge, that more needs to be done in relation to people who are working, who are finding it difficult in terms of the cost of living, and work is ongoing in terms of ensuring people get that extra support in terms of Budget 2027. And we'll see that when Minister Chambers and Minister Harris get up to deliver the budget in a short few months' time. Thank you Deputy Daugherty. Okay, I need to put just a couple of home threats on the record here because you can't get away with that. You can't continue to come in here and say carbon tax is all going in to fund X, Y and Z. Do you think the Comptroller and Auditor General is lying? Do you seriously, or do you just want to ignore what the Comptroller and Auditor General has said in their reports? Like seriously Minister, let's have an honest conversation about this here. The Comptroller and Auditor General says very clearly, hundreds of millions of euro that is being brought in on carbon tax cannot be identified going to any of the intended causes. Retrofits, climate change, social welfare payments can't be identified going there. Hundreds of millions of euro. That's not Sinn Féin speaking. That's the Comptroller and Auditor General coming before the Public Accounts Committee. It's in black and white. It's there for everybody to see. Stop spouting the stuff that you're saying because it is not true. That's the first thing. Second thing is, we have shown you time and time again, how not only you can actually deliver retrofits and environmentally friendly programmes, but that you can do them in a better way that is not a transfer of taxpayers' money going in to those who are already wealthy. People who can already afford to buy their electric vehicle or to do the deep retrofit and still get the grants. What we need is to make sure that more of that money flows into the households that can't afford to do this. And that is why we need to see a restructuring of the grants, but also we need to see more money spent on it. And you do not need carbon tax to do that. You can actually look at other types of tax. So here's a novel idea for you Minister. Think about this one for a second. Stop picking the pocket of my neighbour who can't afford an electric vehicle and pick the pockets of the banks. They made 3 billion euro profits last year. You allow them to pay 1% tax. Why not do that? Why not let them fund energy retrofits? Why are you picking the pockets of my neighbour? You talk about what this legislation is about and that the energy crisis is created by the war in Iran. Of course the latest version of that is created by the war in Iran. Nobody disputes that. Nobody disputes that and hopefully some of that will settle. It does not let you off the hook. It does not let you off the hook. This government is instrumental in driving up the costs of gas, of electricity, of petrol, of diesel, of home heat and all, of a bag of coal, of a bale of briquettes, and you have been doing it every single year for the last 6 years and you plan to continue to do it for the next 4 years. It is in the legislation. It is what you are asking me to vote for. And I am not voting for it. Because it is not just Trump and his antics that is driving up these costs. You are driving up these costs. This legislation is driving up these costs. How am I supposed to turn around to people in Ghidor, or in Leonard Kenney, or in Kelly Beggs, on the 1st of August and say, how the hell under God's peers did you vote for legislation that put up the price of diesel by 32 cents? Do you not understand what we are dealing with at the minute? That is what you are asking me to do. And I am not doing it. And I am also calling you out. Because some of the stuff you are saying is simply not true. And if we want to have a debate, let's have an honest debate. But acknowledge please, acknowledge what the Comptroller and Auditor General has said. Hundreds of millions of euro of carbon tax is not ring fenced for the intended purpose. If you want, I will quote exactly what he says. Between 2020 and 2023, over half a billion euro, he can't actually say where it has been spent in terms of the intended projects. But you keep on saying that carbon tax is ring fenced for these measures, when it is not. Or do you want to stand there, Minister, and say that the Comptroller and Auditor General and their office are simply wrong? Are simply misleading the public? Are simply misleading the Dáil? Well if you are not willing to stand there and say that, stop you misleading the Dáil, stop you misleading the public, and have an honest debate in relation to where carbon tax goes. Thanks. You have had the vote. So you can go back and claim you have taken your position. The House has had the vote in relation to your amendment. And it was beaten, comprehensively. Not just by government, but by other members in the Dáil. Who actually do support the model that has been implemented. Because they can see the benefit of it, in terms of that it is being reinvested. And I will just give you a flavour in terms of the £1.14 million that was allocated to the climate measures, and to ensure the most vulnerable were protected from the unintended consequence of the increase. And that was an additional £163 million in the 2025 allocation. £566 million to the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment for retrofitting programmes, just transition, and the ODA Green Climate Fund. That was an increase of £89 million in 2025. £350 million for the Department of Social Protection for target social welfare interventions, an increase of £44 million in 2025. £173 million for the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine for green and sustainable farming measures, an increase of £30 million in 2025. £20 million for the Department of Transport for the continuation of carbon tax funded programmes, and £5 million for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for the continuation of carbon tax funded programmes. So that's where the money that was collected is being spent. We can agree to disagree on the policy proposal, but that's where we are Deputy. Deputy Daherty. Minister, you started talking about a couple of million here and a couple of million there. I have called you out in relation to what you're saying over and over again about it being reinvested. And I'm asking you, and I'm challenging you here in the Dáil, either stand up over what you're saying or call out the CNAG. Call out the Comptroller and Auditor General. You can't have it both ways, folks. Who's telling the fibs here? You're saying that carbon tax is completely reinvested and the Comptroller and Auditor General is saying, well, not under his watch, not what he can find, because he's saying that between 2020 and 2023, of the €1.3 billion that was brought in, there's about half a billion of that, €500 million that didn't go in the intended schemes. So stop, please stop it. And I am challenging you here now. Do you stand over what you're saying? And please answer the question, is the Comptroller and Auditor General wrong? Or is it all reinvested? Just before I ask the Minister, he has said to me that he's pressing it, so I do have to ask him before we do get a response in that he's asked twice to press the amendment. So, Deputy, do you wish to press the amendment, or will I go back to the Minister? We have 10 minutes left. Minister. Minister. Okay, thank you. After this, we'll press the amendment. Deputy Daugherty, what I'm quoting is the figures from 2025 and 2026. I've outlined where the €1.114 billion of expenditure, how it's comprised of, through each department. I can't break it down in granular form for you here today, but what I am saying, at a high level, where the money that's collected is going back into the various departments. When carbon tax was introduced initially, my understanding is the first €20 wasn't ring-fenced, but anything over and above that was ring-fenced into measures that I've outlined already. I'll come back to you on what you're saying in relation to between 2020 and 2023, but the figures I quoted here this evening are the figures from 2025 and to date in 2026, and those I've outlined here to you this evening. But fundamentally, you're opposed to this. I recognise that. You have been consistent in your approach to it. But I suppose that is fair, and that is your prerogative. But what we have said, this is a policy that has been introduced to change behaviour, and it has been done so in a way to protect those at the lowest income levels of unintended consequences and to generate funding that can be reinvested into permanent measures that will help people, as I outlined already, in terms of the environmental schemes from an agricultural perspective, in terms of deep retrofitting, in terms of the increase in the SSAI grants, which Minister O'Brien announced an increase earlier this year. These are the figures I've spoken to are 2025 and 2026. Thank you.