Government getting energy supports wrong, say Greens

Green Party councillor Janet Horner has said that the government are not targeting energy supports in the right place, as the war in Iran rumbles on.

Horner was speaking following news that the European Union will ask member states to offer energy vouchers to households that have been badly hit by the energy crisis, and to intrdocue a temporary ban on disconnections.

When the Greens were last in government, energy support credits and a windfall tax was implemented in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, something the present government has been reluctant to do in the wake of the Iran war.

Horner said that the government needs to be doing more.

The Dublin Central by-election candidate said “the government has not been targeting supports in the right place. Cutting excise on diesel and petrol does nothing for home heating oil costs, subsidising airlines does nothing for local tourism, and they haven’t done enough to support households.”

“The government needs to extend support by giving an additional €200 in energy credits to households that earn less than €85,000 a year, that’s 70% of all Irish households. Excise duty on home heating oil needs to be cut, and there needs to be a serious ramping up of the rollout of the Warmer Homes Scheme” she said.

The EU has suggested that the public transport fares be cut, a measure which the Greens implemented during their time in government.

Horner said that cuts to public transport fees should be matched with increased public transport capacity via investment in infrastructure, and making steps to move away from fossil fuel dependency.

“In the past few weeks, we’ve seen the real cost of Government inaction on investing in Irish-produced energy and public transport across the whole country. We need a medium-term plan now so that people aren’t facing into a winter of high energy costs, and a long-term plan to protect the country from future energy shocks,” Horner said.