Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-22
============================================================

Jack Chambers (FF), Dublin West

I reiterate that Government is cognisant of the serious pressure that many families and households face into the winter. That is taking centre stage in our Estimates discussions and how we examine different and further interventions on how we tax energy in the economy.
To give workers a break, there will be an income tax package, which will give some workers some respite through the winter period. In the social protection system, we want to target the fuel allowance allocation and other changes that will be under consideration to help those most in need and those facing the significant price rises over the winter period. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is working on some areas, which I will not comment on the detail of, relating to our grant support system and how we better calibrate it to promote renewable energy options, to get people off fossil fuels and to drive greater affordability. He is examining a range of options in that context in advance of budget 2027.
We are also looking at how we can drive affordability in the provision of different services, including childcare, the cost of disability and other mechanisms through our social protection system to help those most in need. It is unfair to say that the Government has done nothing. We have taken some of the biggest interventions per capita in Europe to mitigate the price rises. A total of €1 billion has been expended already on reductions in petrol and diesel. We are considering further options for home heating oil. Many households, in particular in rural Ireland, are impacted by that price rise, which is likely to continue and be sustained over the winter. That is why that range of options for tax and expenditure is under consideration by Government, all centred on helping people, targeting the most vulnerable and protecting people through the winter.
The Government is also prioritising sustainability. That is why the grant support systems that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is evaluating will be changed to help incentivise greater uptake of grants for energy sustainability. He will set that out in or around budget day.

---

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/2026-09-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-22