Taoiseach Micheal Martin has been slammed for the Government’s response in tackling the crisis facing households who are choosing between heating their homes and buying food.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald described remarks from Minister of State Sean Fleming, who said people should "shop around" as “callous” and "indifferent".
Minister Fleming has since apologised for his remarks in which he said: “Rather than just complaining and [asking] 'What's the Government going to do for me?', you can actually have a serious impact on your own finances, but it involves people having to do some work themselves.”
When asked about Mr Fleming’s comments and whether that is the view that some Ministers’ hold privately, the Taoiseach said: “No that’s not a view of Ministers and it’s not a privately held view either and the Minister [Fleming] has apologised for the statement made.”
However, in response to parliamentary questions on energy poverty in 2021 from Sinn Fein, Green Party ministers Ossian Smyth, Eamon Ryan and from Fianna Fail junior Minister Sean Fleming, all urged that households switch or shop around for better energy prices.
When this was put to Minister Eamon Ryan by the Irish Mirror on Tuesday, he said: “I think we need a whole load of measures including the credits, the €113 credit we’ll take off the bill as one of the measures.
“Yes shopping between different suppliers is another way in which people can look to see if they can bring their bills down.
“There’s a whole variety of measures we need to look at.”
Sinn Fein’s Lynn Boylan said Minister Fleming’s comments “were not a gaffe or off the cuff, shopping around is Government policy.”
She said: “Minister Malcolm Noonan gave me that advice in 2020 during a debate on energy poverty and it has been repeated by numerous ministers ever since.
“What is most disappointing about the Government’s decision to stick to this policy is that they are aware that switching is not straightforward for everyone.
“The energy poverty strategy 2016-2019 clearly flagged that there is ‘mounting evidence that there are a number of barriers preventing people in energy poverty from switching.’
“The fact that they are sticking to this mantra shows they are clearly out of ideas.”
Speaking earlier in the Dail on Tuesday, Mr Martin said targeted measures to cushion the blow of this cycle of inflation will be the basis for Government actions later this week.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said there has been delay, dithering and lack of clarity from the Government and households are now having to decide whether to pay their gas bill or put food on the table.
While Labour’s Finance spokesperson, Ged Nash, said that increasing people's wages was the only way to help people during this period of inflation and also called on the Government to commit to a "mini-budget.”
