Fuel Protests: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Laura Harmon (LAB), Industrial and Commercial Panel

They say that a week is a long time in politics. Certainly for the Government, the last week has been a game-changer in that it has lost credibility with many of the Irish people and just half an hour ago it lost one of its Ministers of State. A week is a long time. It is long time if you are living in poverty. A day is long time if you are living in poverty.
One in five children in this country is living in poverty when housing costs are taken into account. That rises to over 40% for those renting. We are not protecting renters; there were 20,000 evictions in 2025. These fuel protests were not just about fuel; they were about the cost of living. There is a difference between living and existing and many people in this country are trying to merely exist.
When we talk about poverty, we are talking about not having warm clothes, not being able to eat, not having shelter and not being able to make friends, build a community and have an independent life. One in five people with a disability is living in poverty in Ireland. The Government made them €1,400 less well off in the last budget.
I have to ask what the Government is doing with our public money. We know there is a lot of wastage. That has been reported. It is wasting a boom time when it should be protecting ordinary people in this country. That is what the protests were about. They were about the cost that it takes to exist in this country and to live and build a life whether you can or cannot work. The Government needs to do better. We all need to do better. We in opposition need to and are offering a credible alternative. Many are trying to capitalise on this, including bad actors and extremists. We need to provide proper democratic alternatives.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14