Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-30
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Thomas Gould (SF), Cork North-Central

Just two months after the State-owned ESB raised its prices for over 1 million customers, it posted profits of €636 million and gave its chief executive a 29% increase, raising his salary from €318,000 to €410,000. That is €92,000 of an increase. The Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has published research that shows that ordinary households are paying the price for data centre connections. We have seen a surge in connections to the grid that are the equivalent of 160,000 homes. Record numbers of people are in arrears with over 322,000 families in arrears. Where is the help? Where is the support? This Government is stripping them of the one thing that gave them help, the energy credits. I have to believe that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael do not give a damn about our ordinary workers and families. People will be back on the streets. They do not want to be on the streets but they will have to be. Does the Minister of State know why? It is because, if they do not, this Government will not help them. People are angry. They are hurting.
On Monday, a 74-year-old lady contacted me. She cannot turn on the heating. She asked me to come up to the Dáil to tell the Government that older people, families and workers need help. Will the Minister of State do something for them or is this going to be another budget for the rich and for the speculators? It is about time that this Government stood up for ordinary working people.

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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