Energy and Fuel Costs: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Pearse Doherty (SF), Donegal

Cuirim deireadh leis an díospóireacht faoin rún atá curtha chun tosaigh agus bogtha agam ar chostais peitril agus díosail. I listened to the Minister and the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, and their colleagues. Some of them have not even read the legislation and did not inform themselves of what we were debating before they came in and started asking stupid questions. The Minister will be able to see the legislation and see the fact that it is for six months and allows the Minister to review that period, to extend it or to increase the length of time. He will see in the legislation that it provides flexibility for the Minister also to increase or decrease the supports depending on the situation in terms of wholesale fuel costs or the cost-of-living crisis that people are suffering from. This is a responsible course of action from this party. The Minister talked about back-of-envelope stuff. No harm to the Minister but that was Fianna Fáil's job, the last time you wrecked the economy, yourselves down in the Galway tent with the back of the envelopes with the bankers and the developers. We know all the lectures in relation to that. This legislation is detailed. It is presentable. The key thing about it is that it is the solution. It is the plan that people are looking for. People cannot wait any longer for the Government to get its act together. I am glad the Ministers have all returned from St. Patrick's Day festivals but while they were away, people here were seriously struggling. This is the problem here. They left without providing the support that was required.
People are demanding action right now. The action they need is a cut in taxes on petrol, diesel and home heating oil. The Minister talked about how the price of kerosene has gone up really high and how it is putting pressure on families. He should be honest with people about what he is planning to do. He is planning to increase the cost. His cheerleaders in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are calling on him to increase carbon tax on 1 May, the legislation he has already passed. He should not give these crocodile tears that he feels for the old woman who has to fill up her tank and it is costing her €1,800, when he is sitting there saying we have to increase carbon tax in a couple of weeks. That is going to make it more expensive for people to heat their home and stay warm during this time of crisis. That is the reality of what the Government is doing. As Deputy Gould said, we are three weeks into this crisis and still the Government does not have a plan. We listen to the Tánaiste and he says we are going to do something. Something - nobody yet knows what he is going to do. I bet my bottom dollar that the Government will not cut taxes on home heating oil because it is wedded to this idea that it is carbon tax and therefore it is the Holy Grail. The Government wants to increase taxes on home heating oil. It is simply unjustifiable. You ask simple questions like how do we fund retrofit. We fund retrofit from the taxes that we take in as a State. There was €12.5 billion of a surplus last year. In one week, €38 million more has been taken in by this Government as a result of sky-high fuel costs. The Government Deputies sit back in their ivory towers and say to people out there who cannot heat their homes that they have to wait another week, and the Government might come up with something. That is not good enough. It does not cut it. People want leadership. They want action. We have provided the solution, the plan and the legislation. What the Minister should be doing, and what a responsible Government, one that cares about people and that understands the cost-of-living pressures people are under, would be doing is standing here and saying "Folks, tonight we are taking action, cutting petrol and diesel costs and the cost of home heating oil." Those are the solutions we put forward. In the real world, things continue to move on while Ministers are dithering and delaying and dallying. People are having to pay these costs. Today I talked to a forecourt owner. This is putting huge pressure on businesses also. They are buying diesel in for €2.13. This evening they were told what the prices are going to be tomorrow night and it is going up again, they will have to buy it in for €2.19. The Minister is going to delay and come up with something some time next week. It is simply unacceptable. People will have a decision now. I am glad the Government did not move their amendment so they will have a decision here now to actually support this motion and support this legislation.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18