Targeting of fuel supports
Deputy Hayes argued recent fuel packages were not sufficiently targeted at disabled people and other vulnerable groups. The Taoiseach said targeted measures had been included, defended the broad excise cuts, and said the budget would address disability costs.
Let me express my deep gratitude and support for An Garda Síochána for clearing the disruption and blockades last week. On 17 December, the Taoiseach told me in this Chamber that it was "not fiscally sustainable" that the Government change any of its spending plans in order to accommodate basic, targeted measures to help with winter fuel costs. Now, we see a raft of measures costing way above the meagre ask I was making at that time for a winter emergency payment for disabled people.
Of the €750 million in fuel packages announced over the past four weeks, less than 10% was targeted at the most vulnerable population in a fuel allowance extension. The package is welcomed but let me ask the Taoiseach something directly. If this package is fiscally sustainable, in his words, why is the payment for disabled people not fiscally sustainable? I never accepted that logic. Will the Taoiseach explain to me why he is so against targeted payments yet he is willing to give massively bigger amounts away in universal measures? Will he now support the Social Democrats' proposed €400 energy credit for all households earning less than €70,000?
Comment on this
No. The bulk of the last measure is for the general reduction of excise on diesel and petrol, which will impact on everybody. That is far greater than the €100 million package for agriculture and €120 million for transport. By the way, transport is the lifeblood of everybody. We are not doing haulage for the sake of hauliers alone. We are doing it because we want to get goods and services across the country. We want to put stuff on supermarket shelves. We want to export goods that are produced by workers.
It is a bit inaccurate, to be polite, to do these simplistic calculations. Food production is very important for the economy. Both food and production and the haulage industry are engines for all of us to keep our economy going and workers going to work and so on like that.
Comment on this
That is not going to pay the energy bills.