It has been reported that tomorrow the Government will announce measures to reduce energy costs. These measures are likely to be limited to reductions in excise taxes and an extra fuel allowance payment.
People Before Profit have called for much more decisive action to reduce energy costs and to alleviate the costs of living crisis, including a €500 electricity credit funded by a levy on data centres, a €400 cost of living payment to people with disabilities, and an extra week of social protection payments.
People Before Profit have introduced the Emergency Price Controls Bill and the Grocery Price Caps Bill to cap prices, and call on the Government to ensure these Bills progress into legal effect as quickly as possible.
People Before Profit have urged people to attend the Affordable Ireland Campaign demonstration at the Dáil on Kildare Street at 5.30pm on Wednesday to demand action on energy costs.
People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett said:
“People are paying soaring prices for fuel and energy, adding enormously to the cost-of-living pressures they were already facing.
“Before this latest energy crisis arising from the attacks on Iran by the US and Israel, prices had increased by 25% in 5 years. This has created intense financial pressure and over 40% of parents have skipped meals or reduced their portion sizes to ensure their children have enough to eat.
“Now people are paying over €2 per litre for petrol and diesel, they are paying close to €1,000 for a half fill of their oil tank, and the cost of electricity is at a record of 35c per unit. People were struggling already and they cannot afford these extra costs.
“The Government looks set to introduce very limited and short-term measures that could be wiped out by new price rises within a week or two. This is a woefully inadequate response from a government that doesn’t care about the severe and escalating cost of living pressures ordinary people are facing.”
“All this is happening while energy companies are making enormous profits and while there are indications that some are taking advantage of the latest crisis by profiteering.
“The Government needs to take meaningful cost of living actions to control prices and give people income supports to help them cope with the intense financial pressure.”
Paul Murphy said:
“The Government should introduce a €500 electricity credit for every household, funded through a special levy on data centres. Data centres consume more electricity than all the homes in the State combined, and they pay just half what households pay for their electricity. This must end and there must be no more data centres.
“This latest energy crisis has demonstrated again just how urgent it is that we transition away from fossil fuels, but the Government has effectively abandoned its climate action targets and we remain heavily dependent on oil and gas.
“Trump is demanding that we buy expensive and dirty LNG from the US, a demand the Government is preparing to submit to, and all the extra wind energy we have generated is just being consumed by data centres. The Government is going the wrong way and making the crisis worse.
“In addition, there should be an emergency €400 payment for disabled people, there should be an extra week’s social protection payments, and the fuel allowance scheme should be extended. This is the minimum set of policy actions needed immediately.
“We also need price controls to stop the profiteering and to ensure that people have certainty in what they have to pay for energy, food and other essentials. People Before Profit have introduced the Emergency Price Controls Bill and the Grocery Price Caps Bill that would do this, and the Government should ensure these Bills can progress into legal effects as quickly as possible.
“The Affordable Ireland Campaign has called a demonstration at the Dáil on Kildare Street at 5.30pm on Wednesday to demand action on energy costs and we urge people to join the protest to put maximum pressure on the Government to act decisively.”