Fuel Poverty
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-24
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Richard Boyd Barrett (PBP), Dún Laoghaire

Any of the improvements made since 2024 have been wiped out by Trump's warmongering and the profiteering of energy companies. The situation is set to get worse. The proof of that is that more than 500,000 households are currently in arrears on either their gas or electricity bills and that a massive chunk of people, in the region of 60%, who are suffering and will struggle even more this winter than last are not eligible for the fuel allowance.
Last night, the Government made the shameful decision to vote down our proposal which would have given €500 to every single household and more to those with a disability by taking €1 billion from the billionaire owners of data centres who are getting electricity at half the price of people who are struggling. It voted that down. Does the Minister know what the energy gap, as it is known, is? That is the gap that would take everyone out of energy poverty. It is €480. If the Government is not going to do what we asked last night, will it at least extend eligibility for the fuel allowance to those who need help?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:50+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-24