Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-21
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

Let us have an honest debate where we can agree and disagree on the facts and let us not make up stuff that does not have any basis from a factual point of view.
In terms of the surplus, I repeat that is going into the funds, such as the Future Ireland Fund and the infrastructure and nature fund. The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, manages that and it is being invested in a whole range of areas including renewables, such as offshore and onshore wind projects, solar farm financing, grid expansion and interconnectors, battery storage systems for renewables, investment platforms for energy developers and funds combining wind and grid-scale storage. Then there is the building of the energy retrofit programmes. There is a whole range of investments out of those funds going into that renewables space and protecting us in terms of developing a low-carbon public infrastructure for the future and electric vehicle, EV-charging, clean public transport fleets, a circular economy waste system and, above all, a lot going into housing, with equity in housing developments, delivery of nationwide housing supply and so on, such as the private, social, affordable and mixed-tenure schemes.
Money is being invested. We are not letting it hang around doing nothing. Therefore, the more honest position would be whether the Deputy suggesting that we would stop the funds or pause investing in them. Of course, they are necessary for the future pressures that will undoubtedly arise because of the ageing population and more expenditures that will arise in health services and looking after older people in our society because our lifespan is increasing dramatically as well.
In the meantime, we have allocated €715 million now in terms of supports. We have reduced, effectively, the excise on diesel by 32 cent. That will benefit workers. It benefits everbody, more or less, in society. Petrol is down 27 cent from where it would be if we had not intervened and marked gas oil will be up to about 20% when the scheme comes in for contractors. I will come back later on that sectoral thing the Deputy accused us of doing.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-21