
“Poor Government Planning Means Choice Between Heat Or Food” – Cllr Sarah O'Reilly
Aontú Cllr Sarah O'Reilly has responded to the damning remarks made by the director of ESB International.
Speaking today, Cllr O'Reilly said “Ireland is the least prepared country for a coming gas crisis this winter, according to the director of the ESB international. Countries across Europe have filled their gas storage over summer to support the increase in demand this winter. Ireland failed to do this. We’re already seeing the knock-on effects of this. This week alone there have been two amber alerts. This month, electric Ireland has increased the unit price of electricity by 11.35% and gas by 31.9%. This will affect well over 1 million people across the country”
“Every day I’m seeing the real-world impact of this. 23% of Irish people are experiencing energy poverty this year. However, an ESRI report found this could soon rise to 43% of households. It’s absolute disgrace that as a result of poor government planning, families will have to choose between heating their homes or putting food on the table”
“Rather than practical solutions to addressing this crisis, the government hides behind the demonisation of farmers. This crisis is serious and will only get worse and time goes on. We need rapid investment into developing our energy infrastructure” concluded Cllr O'Reilly
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