Budget surplus while families struggle to heat homes, says Sinn Fein leader

There are “two different realities” in Ireland, Mary Lou McDonald has said, one of budget surplus billions and another of households unable to heat their homes.

The Sinn Fein leader was speaking at Leaders’ Questions in the Dail on Tuesday after the Government’s Spring Economic Forecast was published.

It said a surplus of 9.2 billion euro is expected, up from the 5.1 billion euro estimate when the Budget was published in October.

The Sinn Fein leader said: “Your Government is taking in billions more and yet people can’t afford to heat their homes, people can’t pay their electricity bills.

“It’s as though there are two different realities in this country, one in your forecast of growth of surpluses, and another at kitchen tables across the land, cold homes, mounting bills and real fear.”

She said the “energy crisis is not easing, it is intensifying”, and she accused ministers of being “spectators in this crisis, rather than the Government responsible for fixing it”.

Responding, Micheal Martin said “every country across the world is grappling with this reality”, and his Government has “responded in a substantial, targeted and sustainable way”.

He said while there are surpluses projected, there is also an Exchequer deficit of around 1.8 billion euro.

The Taoiseach said this is because the Government is transferring funding from the Exchequer to investments.

“It’s not as if there’s billions hanging around the drawer somewhere to just take and spend,” he said.

“You surely know that and what’s happening with that funding?

“It’s been invested in people, in housing, in energy and infrastructure.”

The Taoiseach listed a number of projects he said The Future Ireland Fund and Climate Investment Fund are supporting, including solar farm financing, housing developments, and the MetroLink project in Dublin.

“Are you saying we should wind up the funds,” he asked. “The infrastructure and nature fund is helping to fund the Metro, for example, are you saying we scrap the Metro?”

He also said the Government will look at how it can “structurally” ease “pressure on families permanently around the energy cost area”.

But he added that would “take a bit of work, because we do need to be targeted”.

In response, Ms McDonald said: “That’s guff Taoiseach, plain and simple, you’ve given us a catalogue of your own failures: housing, the Metro, infrastructure. Fail, fail fail.”

She said “families are struggling now, in the today, in the here and now”, and “there is an obligation on you as the Government to listen, to hear and to intervene”.

Mr Martin said “The Government didn’t wait”, and added: “Over the last number of years, we’ve brought in very significant schemes that permanently reduced the cost of living for people.”

He said these included free primary and second level school books, free hot school meals, the National Childcare Scheme and an extension to the fuel allowance.