Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. A number of weeks ago the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, appointed two friends to the Climate Change Advisory Council. This was despite a recommendation from the Joint Committee on the Environment and Climate Action recommending an open, competitive and transparent process in respect of such appointments. I am sure the Minister is aware, more than most of us in this House, of the need for this given the stroke that he tried to pull in the summer in appointing a former Cabine…

The coming months will be difficult for a lot of low and middle-income households as a result of the 35 energy increases introduced this year, with many more expected. The annual bill for heating a home can cost between €400 and €500 more than it was this time last year. Electricity prices have risen by 21%, gas by 14% and home heating oil by 46%. The Minister of State and his party want those prices increased even further, which will make those households even poorer, in the hope they will find magic money under t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on Second Stage of this important legislation. We will scrutinise it further if it proceeds to Committee Stage. The purpose of the Bill, as the Minister of State set out, is to ratify the amending agreements between the European Stability Mechanism treaty and the Single Resolution Fund intergovernmental agreement. It is required in order to implement the agreement reached by the Eurogroup on 30 November last year and the signing of the ESM treaty reform in January this year. The M…

This motion authorises the Minister for Finance, in accordance with section 6(1) of the National Surplus (Reserve Fund for Exceptional Contingencies) Act 2019, not to pay the prescribed amount of €500 million into the national surplus reserve fund for 2021. This relates to the so-called rainy day fund which was established by Fine Gael to burnish its image as a prudent manager of the public finances and which was championed by Fianna Fáil in an attempt to restore trust in its ability to manage the public finances a…

Taking a map of our island and following the route to Donegal, a person is lucky if he or she is setting out on that journey from Dublin because there will be motorway for the first 30 minutes of it. After that, however, the drive will be on a mix of national and secondary roads, often winding, poorly lit roads in dire conditions. If one is going to where I am from, Gweedore, or somewhere on the Inishowen Peninsula, the journey will take four and a half or possibly up to five hours. Is it any wonder that our towns …

The winter months will pose significant financial challenges for many households, particularly those on low and middle incomes. We see rising prices and a spike in energy costs. More than 35 price increases have been announced by energy providers since the start of the year and annual bills now are rising by between €400 and €500. I ask that the Minister take further action in this regard. Will he reduce VAT on domestic energy bills for the winter months, either through a VAT rebate or through negotiations with the…

In the 12 months to September, the price of electricity rose by 21%, gas by 14% and home heating oil by a staggering 46%. We need to stretch every sinew to protect households from energy poverty this winter. Budget 2022 clearly failed to do that. The Minister has read out a response that is outdated as regards the EU directive. He will be mindful of the toolbox the Commission agreed, which does allow for rebates, although he has just put on the record that rebates are not allowed. I am sure he is aware of what his …

Some of those decisions will increase energy prices further by hiking carbon tax later next year. As the Minister mentioned, a number of countries are engaging with the Commission on this issue, the Czech Republic being one. Spain has already slashed the cost of energy bills by 11%. The Spanish Government has done that up until the end of the year. The Labour Party across the water has been calling on the Tories to zero-rate energy bills during the winter period. Britain is, of course, outside the European Union. T…

On 6 March, the personal injury guidelines were adopted by the Judicial Council. They came into force on 24 April, which was more than six months ago. I raised this issue with the Minister on 31 March and I am doing so again because it is important for motorists, businesses and our community sector. The reductions in rewards under those guidelines are not being passed on to consumers in full. There is enough evidence to prove that. Some of them are being pocketed by the industry. Will the Minister end the delay and…

The Minister of State said it is early days in this process. In fact, it is more than six months since the guidelines were enforced. As we see from the information provided by PIAB, it has reduced average awards by 40%, thereby reducing the cost of claims for the insurance industry. The relevant legislation was not passed by all the parties in this House to boost the profit of insurance companies, but that is exactly what is happening. The legislation was passed to reduce insurance premiums and costs for consumers …

There is a company in Dundalk about to go bust because it cannot get insurance-----

-----and there are many others like it.

This is what I cannot understand. The Minister of State says he is going to take action against the industry. The Tánaiste talked about it more than a year and a half ago, before the election, saying he was giving the insurance industry six months and that was it, after which the stick would come out. We in this House did our job. Representatives of the insurance industry came before the Oireachtas committee and said they would reduce premiums across the board by 15% to 20% and, if not, they would need to be asked …

You are misleading the Dáil. That legislation does nothing of the sort. It asks the Central Bank for a report on what it is doing.

The Minister of State is completing and utterly misleading the Dáil.

Your legislation does nothing.

The legislation does nothing. The only power it gives you is to ask for a report from the Central Bank. You could telephone the Governor and ask for the same thing.

It is an embarrassment.

Tá an scannal ó thaobh cúiteamh do theaghlaigh atá cráite ag míoca agus pirít ag dul ar aghaidh go fóill. Chuala muid ar fad na scéalta ó na teaghlaigh agus tá sár-jab déanta acu ag cur a gcuid pointí trasna le linn an fheachtais seo. Ar an 15 Meitheamh, thacaigh an tAire agus an Rialtas le rún ó Shinn Féin a thabharfadh 100% cúiteamh do na daoine seo, ach tuigim ó bheith ag caint leo aréir nár bhuail an tAire leo go fóill agus nár thug sé cuairt ar na ceantair seo leis an scannal agus an briseadh croí a fheiceáil …

The Minister mentioned learning the lessons from pyrite and looking at examples. The Housing Agency took on that project and it is the only agency that can do this properly. We should not force families at their wits' end to compete for developers' prices and tenders and all the rest. The Minister for Finance clearly must have a view on this. The families are well aware of the Minister's busy schedule but they are also aware he is a key person, as Minister for Finance, for the scheme that could address and lift the…