Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Rory Hearne (SD), Dublin North-West

The Minister of State set out that Ireland would engage constructively with the development of proposals for a potential EU-wide windfall tax levy. She also talked about what the Tánaiste had done on this. The European Commissioner for energy, however, has said very clearly that the EU is not planning any EU-wide tax on windfall profits and actually said yesterday that the Commission will help countries to develop schemes themselves. What is the Government doing here? Who is it kidding? If the Government actually wanted to introduce a windfall tax, the European Commission is saying very clearly that it would help us. There is nothing stopping us and there is no EU-wide windfall tax coming. Therefore, it is down to the Government to do this and it can do it. This is all just excuses and nonsense. For some reason, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael seem absolutely unwilling or scared, or lack the courage, to put in place a windfall tax on energy companies. The Government needs to say why that is because there is no excuse.
I am not sure if the Minister of State has read the shocking cost-of-living report by Barnardos. Has she read it? Families were asked if the cost-of-living crisis has negatively affected their children. One in five said that the cost of living has negatively impacted their children. That is up from 12% in 2022. It asked how often people worry about being able to provide their children with daily essentials. Some 29% of parents worry every day about providing their children with essentials. Half of those with incomes under €30,000 are worried about being able to provide their children with daily essentials.
The figures on food are truly scandalous. Some 44% of parents are skipping meals or reducing portion sizes so that their children will have enough to eat. Some 30% felt at some point that they did not have enough food to feed their children. For Christ's sake, 30% of parents in this country are saying they have not had enough food to feed their children. These are not Famine times. This is the point at which we are the wealthiest we have ever been. What is going on? The economy is fundamentally not working for people. On healthcare and additional needs, I am dealing with people in my constituency who cannot afford to get the services their children need because they do not have the money to pay for them.
In the Barnardos report, one parent said, "For me, my mental health is a current issue due to not eating well enough or taking supplements while breastfeeding as I cannot afford them so my hormones are imbalanced." Another parent referred to "Putting off dentist visits when they are long overdue because of the expense." This is not good enough. We need this windfall tax and we need serious measures because this is an absolute scandal.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-30/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-30