Finance Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-17
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Robert Troy (FF), Longford-Westmeath

One basic point people fail to acknowledge and recognise is that the huge increase in energy prices is not as a consequence of decisions taken by the Government but as a consequence of an issue happening in the Middle East. That is not of the Government’s making. I think we can all agree on that. This is what has been the biggest driver in the increase in the cost of energy since the crisis began. As a consequence of and in reply to that, the Government did take corrective actions, not once but twice. This was to the tune of a total of €750 million. We are 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 we should have done more and gone further. They do not even recognise that we made interventions, and that this action was one of the largest across the EU.
On Leaders' Questions today, the Taoiseach gave a firm commitment that the situation would be kept under continuous review. We have to acknowledge, 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 peace deal in the Middle East and, hopefully, that will open up the Strait of Hormuz. This will see a huge increase in the supply, which will, hopefully, bring down the cost of oil even further. We, therefore, have to be agile and responsive to what is happening on the international stage because this is what is affecting the cost of energy in Ireland today.
The differences regarding the benefits of the carbon tax have been exposed among the people on the Opposition benches. The most recent votes identified this. A sizeable majority in this Dáil supports it and supports what is being done to ensure that the revenue generated by the carbon tax is reinvested to protect those who need the greater support through the fuel allowance, social welfare payments, investment in environmental and agricultural schemes in the agriculture sector, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, grants to help people retrofit their homes and a deep retrofit for those who need it the most, namely those people at risk of energy poverty and receiving social welfare fuel allowance. The tens of thousands of households that have benefited from that welcome it.
I assist people in this regard, and I acknowledge everybody does in this Chamber. We assist people daily and weekly in our clinics and in our constituencies. If we talk to anybody, in the context of the fuel allowance, who has had the benefit of a deep retrofit and the benefit they have derived, they will speak about the improved quality of life in their homes and the huge reduction in what they are spending weekly, monthly or bimonthly on energy to heat their homes. That is a permanent support for people at risk of energy poverty. It is a permanent benefit that we have been able to provide because of the carbon tax, and that is never acknowledged when Deputy Doherty gets up to speak.
I have outlined that our budgetary process has commenced. I acknowledge that more needs to be done in relation to people who are working and who are finding it difficult in terms of the cost of living. Work is ongoing to ensure that people get that extra support in budget 2027. We will see that when the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Minister, Deputy Harris, get up to deliver the budget in a few short months.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-17