Home Heating Oil (Emergency Mineral Oil Tax Reduction) Bill 2026: Second Stage [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-22
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Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (SF), Kildare South

Tá teaghlaigh ar fud Chill Dara Theas ag streachailt le billí fuinnimh, go háirithe iad siúd atá ag brath ar cheirisín agus gan an dara rogha acu foinse eile a úsáid. Tá praghas ceirisín tar éis ardú suas le 75% gan faic déanta ag an Rialtas chun na teaghlaigh seo a chosaint ó na hathruithe ar phraghsanna. Caithfidh an Rialtas éisteacht le cosmhuintir na tíre agus tacú le réiteach Shinn Féin ar an bhfadhb. Families in south Kildare are struggling with their energy bills. We are heading into another difficult winter and families desperately need support. Home heating oil prices have skyrocketed in the past 12 months, rising by as much as 75% in some cases. A fill of 1,000 litres of oil will now set families back more than €1,600 compared with €900 for the same amount of oil one year ago. The latest price spike at the end of summer has once again caused huge anxiety for households who rely on kerosene to heat their homes.
Rural families across south Kildare are disproportionately affected by these increases and in many cases have no alternative heating source available. Constituents have contacted me to say they simply will not be able to afford to fill their tanks this winter if current circumstances continue. Incredibly, we are seven months into this crisis and the Government has done nothing to help these vulnerable households. Not a single cent has been lifted off excise duty or carbon tax.
I appreciate that the fuel allowance is intended to support those most in need. However, I have received correspondence from many working families who do not qualify for the support, but are still struggling to pay their bills. This comes against the wider backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis with electricity, housing and insurance costs all continuing to rise. Sinn Féin is bringing forward a simple proposal to ease the pressure on these hard-working families by temporarily removing all excise duty on home heating oil. The price of 1,000 litres of oil could be reduced by €183. This is the eighth time Sinn Féin has brought forward proposals on home heating oil this year, yet the Government continues to bury its head in the sand. It is time for the Government to listen and put workers and families first.

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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