decisive action ahead of next winter to tackle energy poverty and end Ireland's reliance on fossil fuel home heating

 

The National Economic Debate took place  in Dublin. A group of social, environmental and voluntary organizations have called on the government ahead of today's national economic debate to take decisive action ahead of next winter to tackle energy poverty and end Ireland's reliance on fossil fuel home heating.

A range of different government policies were discussed today with members of the Cabinet and representatives from community, voluntary and environmental groups, businesses, unions and academics.

The government said the dialogue was not intended to produce specific budget proposals or recommendations.

This year's theme is "Economy 2023 - Enabling a Sustainable Future for All". It will focus on discussions to understand the long-term factors that will shape future economic trends and raise living standards.

The dialogue will include several "breakout sessions" involving senior ministers. These sessions will examine topics such as sustainable public finance, better public service delivery and national climate action targets.

Speaking ahead of today's event, Finance Minister Michael McGrath admitted that "rises in the cost of living and high inflation have created difficulties for many in our society".

"I look forward to hearing from everyone participating today and reflecting on these contributions."

Ahead of today's meeting, 27 organisations, including St Vincent de Paul, Friends of the Earth, Threshold and Age Action, issued a statement urging the government to take decisive action to tackle energy poverty and end Ireland's reliance on fossil fuel home heating.

The groups described the latest CSO figures as showing an "unprecedented crisis" in the number of people unable to keep their homes adequately warm between 2021 and 2022.

The organizations have made several recommendations to the government which are as follows.

• Address insufficient income by raising social welfare rates in line with cost-of-living increases.
• Deal with cold homes first for low-income renters and homeowners.
• Introduce new measures aimed at reducing bills and guaranteeing everyone's right to energy. Avoid fossil fuel heating and ensure a fair energy transition.

"It is essential that the 2024 budget manages revenue adequacy by raising all major social welfare payments to at least €25," she said.

"People with disabilities use more electricity on average. The percentage of people unable to work due to a long-term health condition (disability) has increased by more than 10 percent over the past two years - from 8.5 percent in 2020 to 19.6 percent in 2022.

Knowing that people unable to work due to disability or health conditions are cutting back on essential heating due to lack of sufficient income is very worrying – the health consequences of this alone are frightening. The government should take steps to address the poverty of people with disabilities in the 2024 budget.

Several organizations have come together to end reliance on dirty and expensive fossil fuel heating as a key part of tackling energy poverty and ensuring warm homes for all.