Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05 ============================================================ Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow We have intentions to further strengthen the powers of the CCPC and we look forward to working with people across this House in relation to that. I agree with the Deputy on that point. I also agree with him on there not being a need for a universal energy credit anymore. I agree that TDs do not need energy credits. There are people who need assistance. We can debate this and different parties will have different ideas but the targeted way the Government is going about it is through the expansion of the fuel allowance. The Deputy makes the case that he would like to see it further expanded to cover more people. We are adding 50,000 more households next week. I hear the point about the data centres and I want to respond to that. I do not mean this in relation to the Deputy but people can see a headline and think that that does not sound fair. It does not when you see the headline but when you look at the detail, it is not comparing like with like. The data centres have to pay significant fixed costs for the infrastructure, as is right and appropriate. The tariff might be lower but the actual amount they are spending on the energy infrastructure is a hell of a lot higher, as it should be, than a household. That is an important point. Regarding people with disabilities, the Government has been very clear on this. We have increased the level of investment in disability services this year by around 20%, with €618 million extra. That was the priority - investing further in disability services with much-needed investment. We have said very clearly that we will devise a cost-of-disability payment. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, has opened the consultation process on that. We are eager to get everybody's idea and views as to how best construct that. We have increased the weekly disability payments, the weekly carer's payments, the weekly pension payments and we kept the likes of the Christmas bonus. I have to reject the Deputy saying nothing was done. We have seen inflation fall from a very high level, and we have to be honest about this. For the first time in a long time, we have seen real incomes in Ireland rising again. We need to make that point. These figures are there for all to see. They are not my figures; they are published by the CSO. Incomes are now increasing in this country again. If we get into a position of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East and in the Gulf region, what we have to watch and be honest about is the adverse affect that could have on inflation, on commodity prices and the shocks that could cause to the global economy. That is where our priority and our focus has to be now. I am conscious people are anxious and worried. I can fully understand that with what they are seeing on their television screens, the text messages they are getting about heating and the things they are seeing at the pumps. However, this country is approaching this moment of potential economic shock from a position of strength where we have more people in work than ever before, where the economy is performing well----- --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-03-05