Energy and Fuel Costs: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-09-29 ============================================================ Cathal Byrne (FG), Cultural and Educational Panel I thank the Minister of State very much for being with us today. There is no question that up and down this country at the moment, on the tip of everybody's tongue is the question of what is going to happen in the budget this day next week. We will know the details but it is very important for me and my colleagues to put forward some of the suggestions we have around what we feel would be an adequate set of supports for people who are really feeling the impact of the cost of living and, in particular, the impact of the fuel crisis. That is what my colleagues and I have set out to do. I very much support our motion. The fact that there are no Opposition amendments to it make the case for what we should have in this Chamber, which is a collegiate sense of doing the right thing to support people who are hard-pressed. Let us not be under any misapprehension but that this fuel crisis is as a direct result of what is currently taking place in other parts of the world. I am thinking in particular of the war that is taking place in Iran and the knock-on impact that that is having on international fuel supplies, particularly on oil getting out of the Strait of Hormuz and across the world to our island. It is important to recognise that it is not the Government that sets international oil prices but supply and demand. That is not to take from the role the Government can have in excise duty, taxes and levies. So far this year, we have seen a €1.5 billion allocation directly taken from the Government's surplus to support businesses, individuals, families, farmers and other people up and down the country who work very hard day in, day out and who through no fault of their own really do need support at this time. That money has been spent in a number of different ways. In my area in County Wexford, farmers have needed and benefited from the supports that have been given. As part of this motion, it is important that those measures that were put in place to support farmers be extended and there be certainty for the agricultural sector about how long those supports will be in place. The Government previously came forward and said that the supports would be provided for as long as they were needed. It is very important that we put our case on the floor of the Seanad directly to the Minister of State and say that the crisis is not over yet and the supports must be continued. It is important that we not hide behind anything and that we be upfront and make that case clearly. The vast majority of rural people heat their homes through home heating kerosene oil. For ordinary families up and down the country, the bills coming through their doors to heat their homes are far too much. We in Fine Gael genuinely feel that there has to be a clear, targeted measure to support families with the price of home heating oil, a price that is set at international level. There are supports that the Government can bring. We would encourage the Government in its budget next Tuesday to bring forward those supports. I am thinking particularly of individuals who come into my offices in Wexford and tell me that they are grateful for the fuel allowance support. We know that about one quarter of households are receiving the fuel allowance, which is an increase, particularly given the fact that individuals who did not qualify last year were able to qualify this year. We in the Fine Gael group want to see the fuel allowance extended in recognition of the impact that the fuel crisis is having on hard-pressed families up and down the country. I want to be clear that there are measures that will require the Government to spend a considerable amount of money. It is important to recognise that we are in a position to do so because the economy has been carefully managed through crises in the past and this Government continues to be prudent in how it spends money so that in difficult times like these, it is able to deliver financial support to those who most need them. We hear day in, day out from the Opposition about how there is a need to spend more money in one area or another, but we are all in agreement that the fuel crisis is hitting families up and down this country through no fault of their own. While there will be a drive towards decarbonisation, more solar panels, renewable energy, offshore energy and all of those things, we have to see clear, targeted measures in next Tuesday's budget to support those who are most affected by it and who are not in a position to put in solar panels or benefit from offshore renewable energy that might come in three, five or ten years down the line. I am very happy on behalf of my colleagues to second this motion. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-09-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-29