I agree with the Ceann Comhairle and Tánaiste and thank all the staff and everyone involved in providing the services that allow us to run this House. As the Tánaiste said, they will still be working over the summer but they might not have to deal with all the carry-on that goes on here sometimes. We certainly respect all the work they do. They do a fabulous job which should be acknowledged.

Households are under huge pressure from the cost-of-living crisis. Energy bills are sky high and totally unaffordable. New figures have revealed that over 400,000 household are in arrears. That is up almost 40,000 since February. This is an astronomical sum. It is staggering. Behind these numbers are ordinary workers and families who are desperately trying to pay their bills. They are being stretched to the limit because their pay packets cannot go further. The wholesale cost of gas and electricity came down a long time ago but the companies are not passing it on to consumers. Despite that, the Government has failed to act and has sat on its hands in an effort to cut costs. My question is a simple one. Will the Government finally act to cut energy costs for households?

The Government has acted. Some €12 billion has been provided over the past year and a half, which is 4.5% of our national income, to help households and help people cope with the cost-of-living increases brought about by the war in Ukraine and the inflation that came from the ending of Covid. Those have been in specific tax and expenditure measures. Eight lump-sum payments were arising out of budget 2023 alone. I think it is time for the commercial wholesale prices to be reflected in retail prices by the energy companies. It is about time that started to happen. We understood that there was a time lag just as there was a time lag on the other side. However, it is now time for the energy companies to reflect the significant reduction in energy costs that have happened at the wholesale level. I would point out that Government measures have reduced costs across the board, in health in particular and in education. The most immediate manifestation of that will be the free primary school books scheme that is under way right now. This is the first September when textbooks will be free at primary level. That is an example of the kind of measures we have taken to reduce the pressures and costs on households.