Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)

We know that people are struggling with the cost of energy. It is really important that my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, has brought this motion forward now, in the summer months, because this is something we need to deal with now. People will really struggle, particularly in winter, as a result of inaction by this Government.

Just today, I was contacted by a man in Clifden. As the Minister well knows, Clifden is a place that knows about the wind energy potential of the west of Ireland. One of the things this man raised with me was the exorbitantly high cost of producing renewable energy here, which means that ordinary workers and families are last to feel the benefit. He asked me to look at Scotland as an example of a place that is way ahead of the curve. It has surged ahead while successive governments here have just stuttered. As a result of the lack of investment in and progress on renewables, particularly offshore wind, we are squandering our immense potential to be an energy leader. Not only does this threaten our energy security due to our over-reliance on fossil fuels, but it also means we continue to pay extortionate costs. This was not inevitable. It is the fault of governments that simply did not stand up to meet our potential.

Prior to the liberalisation of our energy system, this State used to enjoy some of the least expensive electricity prices in the EU. That is why we have brought forward a five-point plan to deal with the issue. We are calling for an urgent review of the electricity market here and specifically the link between the wholesale price of gas and the cost of electricity.

When I hold my clinics, people frequently come to me about retrofits or energy upgrades for their homes. However, a lot of the time, people who live in council houses come to me because they are worried about moving towards the electricity side of things when their stove or range has broken because they are not able to manage it as efficiently and easily. We need to give them assurances in this regard so I ask the Minister to take a look at our plan.

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