Ag buaic na ghéarchéime costais fuinnimh, tá €178 milliún á choinneáil ag an Rialtas ar leataobh. Bailíodh an t-airgead seo ó chomhlachtaí fuinnimh agus bhí sé i gceist é seo a thabhairt do ghnáthdhaoine le linn na géarchéime costais maireachtála. Ba é sin an cuspóir iomlán leis an scéim seo agus bhí sé i gceist cuidiú éigeandála tapa a chur ar fáil do theaghlaigh a bhí faoi bhrú ollmhór de bharr praghsanna leictreachais a bhí ag dul i méid go géar agus do dhaoine a bhí ag titim i riaráistí agus i bhfiacha. Ach ní mar sin a tharla.

At the very height of a cost-of-energy crisis, the Government is hoarding €178 million of taxpayers' money that was specifically intended to help struggling households pay their electricity bills. This money was collected under an EU emergency intervention designed to claw back excess profits from energy companies and return that money to ordinary people during the cost-of-living crisis. That was the entire purpose of the scheme. It was supposed to provide rapid emergency relief for families who were being hammered over and over again by soaring electricity costs and were falling into arrears and debt. Yet, almost three years on, €178 million remains untouched in that fund. While the Government sits on the money, families are being absolutely crushed. Workers who never previously struggled are now under unrelenting pressure and they are being stretched too far. Workers and pensioners need direct relief. Families trapped in arrears need immediate support. Households facing disconnection need help to keep the lights on.

Almost 320,000 families right across the State cannot pay their electricity bill, right here, right now, at this moment. It is the second highest level ever recorded in the history of the State, and it has gone up by 58,000 families in one year alone. In the first two months of this year, electricity disconnections went up by a shocking 64% when compared to the same period last year. That is what is happening under the Government's watch, yet the €178 million goes untouched.

Ireland has some of the most expensive electricity prices in Europe. Families are rationing heat and electricity because they simply cannot afford the bills. While all this is happening, the Government continues to refuse point-blank to introduce energy credits for struggling households. Families across the State will conclude that the Government moved faster to protect the money than to protect the people the money was intended for. This is not an administrative delay. That is not what we are talking about here. This is a cold, hard political choice by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

I am going to ask the Minister directly, on behalf of all of the people out there who are finding it really tough to pay these sky-high bills, why, under God, does the Government not use the fund for what it was intended, namely, to help these families pay the bills? How can it possibly justify hoarding this money when workers, families and pensioners are sinking deeper and deeper into energy poverty? Will the Government finally commit to using this fund for the purpose for which it was intended, that is, direct emergency energy credits and a cost-of-living support for struggling households?

I thank Deputy Doherty. If I can, I will take the opportunity to inform the House exactly what the current situation is with the 14 Irish citizens who have been detained. The Government has been very clear in condemning the actions of the Israeli Government and the illegal detention and detainment of our citizens and many others in international waters. The behaviour this week by an Israeli Minister has been completely appalling. My priority and that of the Government has been to make sure that our citizens are safe, that they are accounted for and that they can get home as quickly as possible.

I can now confirm that the 14 Irish citizens who were being detained in Israel have arrived at the airport in Ramon. They are all being transported by air to Istanbul. We will have an ambassador there on the ground to meet with them directly. We have consistently called for access and the ability to engage directly with them by our teams, and that has been denied to us. I utterly condemn these actions. Whether it is the Irish Government or any other government, it is not acceptable that we have been prevented from engaging and speaking directly to citizens.

I am also aware that there are reports that two citizens have been hospitalised. They are not Irish citizens. Again, this information has been brought to my attention. We are aware of reports that others have been injured. As soon as I can, I will provide an update to the House as to whether that includes any Irish citizens.

Again, let me be very clear about these actions. The illegal detention, the way in which our citizens have been detained - we all saw the footage and are horrified by it - and also the fact that we have not had direct contact with our citizens are completely unacceptable. Not only have I condemned this and engaged and written directly to the Israeli authorities, but I am working to build a consensus within the EU to make sure that this is not just words and condemnation, but that we respond appropriately. The most appropriate way in which we can respond to this is by making sure the proposal that has been on the table since last year, by the Commission, to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel association agreement is voted on and that Europe sends a very strong message that we do not accept this kind of behaviour, but also that there is movement when it comes to the banning of trade with the illegal settlements.

From my perspective, I can confirm that I will bring forward the occupied territories Bill in the coming weeks, irrespective of whether we reach a consensus at a European level, and we will enact that legislation, as I have committed to do as Minister for foreign affairs and as the Government has committed to do in our programme for Government.

In relation to the overall crisis and the scenario that many people find themselves in, we all want to do everything we can to ensure we reduce the cost price and reduce energy prices for people, but also that we make energy more affordable in the long term. We all know that a number of different factors have impacted on the cost of energy, fuel and electricity, not least the conflict in the Middle East and the escalating conflict in Iran in recent weeks.

This is on top of the conflict that has been happening in Ukraine.

In my role as Minister for foreign affairs, my priority at a European level is to engage with our partners in the Middle East, the US and beyond to bring this conflict to an end because that is the first point in making sure that we can de-escalate the situation and see costs reducing overall for people in the immediate term. In the immediate term, we have introduced measures to support homeowners. The €750 million that we are providing directly to homeowners is on top of measures that have been introduced since last year. Excise is already zero rated on home heating oil. It is not possible to reduce it further-----

That is not true.

-----but we made a decision last year that we needed to respond directly and that is what we have done.

The fuel allowance, which supports over 400,000 people who are directly and most impacted by the increases in the cost of fuel, has been extended so a further 50,000 households have benefitted from that payment, and it has been extended by four weeks to take into consideration the situation that people are in. That is not to say that we will not do more. We have another budget coming up and acknowledge the stress the people are under, and we will continue to provide direct supports as well as trying to adjust the overall long-term costs that people are facing.

We will be writing to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste. Next week the decks should be cleared and we should pass the occupied territories Bill. We should not be talking about progress. There should be no more delays. We need action. This has been going on for years.

In terms of the cost of energy, the Minister is missing the point and is trying to dress it up in a way that supports the Government's narrative but the fundamental facts remained unchanged. While families are struggling to keep the lights on, the Government is sitting on a fund of €178 million that was specifically designed to help these very same families to pay their electricity bills. Almost 325,000 households cannot pay their electricity right here, right now. Electricity disconnections are rising sharply, up 64% compared to this time last year, and many working families are now falling into debt by simply trying to pay basic electricity bills.

The resources are there. The fund is there but the Government has chosen not to use it in the way that it is supposed to be used. Instead of putting money back into the pockets of workers who are struggling, the Government has allowed this fund to go largely untouched while energy poverty is increasing.

Why under God is the Government not using the €178 million that has been sitting there for the past three years and was specifically designed to be put back into pockets of ordinary people to help them pay their electricity bills? Does the Government not understand what is happening out there in the real world?

Hear, hear.

Does the Deputy not understand that in the past month and a half alone, the Government has provided €750 million directly to homeowners, to people who get into their cars every day and go to work and to businesses that transport food and all of the commodities around the country and bring our children to school? That €750 million has not come nowhere. That is from our taxpayers, our Exchequer and this Government. That decision was taken, and it is not on its own. It is on top of the direct supports that we have provided.

What about this fund?

The Deputy is talking about €178 million. Some €750 million has been provided in the past month and a half alone. That is on top of the additional fuel allowance that we have provided, and on top of the retrofitting-----

What about the fund?

The Deputy should allow the Minister to answer.

-----that is taking place because the best thing we can do for people is to make sure that their overall energy bills come down-----

When is the Government going to use the fund?

-----and we have a target of 74,000 homes that we want to retrofit this year. That is on top of the hundreds of thousands of people who have had their homes retrofitted and who are now seeing an overall and long-term reduction in the costs of their energy bills.

If we look at the ESRI report published in April, it said that the most effective supports-----

Does the Minister know that there is money in the fund?

I thank the Deputy. Will he allow the Minister to conclude?

Does the Minister's Government know?

-----are those targeting the least well off and that is exactly what we are doing. We are targeting those who need our help the most with-----

Does the Government know that the money is sitting in the fund? Does it actually know that millions of euro is sitting there that should be in the pockets of workers?

I call Deputy Ged Nash.

-----with €750 million in the past month and a half.

Will the Minister please conclude? Order, Deputy Doherty.

I call Deputy Nash.