On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 509 of 516 decisive votes (0 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| FF | Fianna Fáil | 19,180 | 2020-02-20 – 2026-09-30 |
Membership spells on record: FF 1989-06-15–1992-11-05 · FF 1992-11-25–1997-05-15 · FF 1997-06-06–2002-04-25 · FF 2002-05-17–2007-04-30 · FF 2007-05-24–2011-02-01 · FF 2011-02-25–2016-03-09 · FF 2016-03-10–2020-01-14 · FF 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · FF 2024-11-29–present
We will not be introducing price controls. They failed in the past and would fail again. In terms of child poverty, consistent poverty is the key metric, not relative poverty. The Deputy did not qualify which he was talking about.
Consistent poverty is what we have to deal with. Our child poverty programme in the budget was very significant, the highest in a very long time. The once-off payments were just that, for two years in a row and before that. During the Covid pandemic and the energy crisis, we had to intervene. They are not sustainable over the decade and they cannot just keep going on. We would not have sustainable public finances if we went down that route. Equally, it is arguable that very wealthy people do not need an energy cred…
We do tax them. We have a very progressive tax system-----
-----which basically means income inequality has reduced despite very significant, strong economic growth. We believe in enterprise; the Deputy does not. He has a broader view of how markets and economies should run-----
-----and that is fundamental to every specific proposal he introduces on a given issue in here.
It has to be seen in the round in terms of what kind of society we want.
I respectfully suggest that the people do not quite want the society the Deputy advocates.
We just had Leaders’ Questions and no one asked that.
The bus driver is very important.
We have committed to ending the waiver over the lifetime of this Government, which is five years and five budgets. We made a significant start on this occasion which will enable us to do it in five years. We have significantly increased the income disregard. It is the highest ever. If you look at some of the income levels now entitled to the carer's allowance when compared with some years ago, it is quite extraordinary in itself. It is a 60% increase. A single carer can earn just over €54,000 per year and receive a…
I thank the Deputy for raising an important issue. I accept fully her bona fides in moving this measure. As she said, we tabled a timed amendment to the legislation last year. I will talk to the relevant Ministers and the Government about the implications of adopting such a measure. We have made significant improvements in this wider area in the past number of years. We will look at it in the context of what is available. The case has been well made.
We are using that money. We have used substantial resources in terms of the retrofitting programme-----
-----fuel poverty, the increase in the fuel allowance payment-----
-----and extending it into the working family payment, which will bring in a significant cohort of working people who are on relatively low incomes. We are spending an unprecedented amount on funding and targeting the measures. The quote the Deputy used is a bit distorted because I said it in the context of Deputy Murphy wanting universal credits for everybody, irrespective of income or wealth. That was the context because that would bail out the energy companies, ultimately, and incentivise them to keep increasing…
The Minister is engaging with them. We need to do everything we can to get prices down.
I met the group last Friday week. I asked them in to Government Buildings and we met in the Taoiseach's offices and had a lengthy discussion. Deputy Murphy knows the history. I established the inquiry into the industrial schools. That was followed by a comprehensive redress scheme and other measures that were taken. We are willing to engage and I have asked my officials to look at all the various requests from the group, but there are repercussions elsewhere and it is not as simple or straightforward as has been pr…
No, it is not.
We have the eighth-highest cost - and it is too high - of energy across the EU 27 when taken in the context of purchasing power parity. That is the situation. We have a very dispersed energy system. We have to invest very significantly in the grid over the coming years. We will have to triple the investment in our energy grid over the next number of years-----
-----and we have grown exponentially.
There is a European framework. Gas is the price-setter.