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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 23 Feb 2022

Vol. 1018 No. 5

Supplementary Budget for Rural Communities and Farmers: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]

The following motion was moved by Deputy Michael Collins on Wednesday, 23 February 2022:
That Dáil Éireann:
notes that:
— rural communities and Irish farmers are facing crippling costs for feeds, fertiliser and fuel, which has the potential to wipe out many viable farmers;
— the current cost-of-living crisis places crippling financial pressures on all lower income earners, including pensioners, struggling mortgage holders, unemployed, rural residents and farmers, all of whom are feeling the deep impact of spiraling prices creep up over the last year;
— governments in France, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Holland and Scotland are establishing multi-million-euro aid packages to assist their respective farming sectors mitigate the current cost crisis;
— today, all pig farmers across the country are under extreme financial pressures, and all contingencies have been exhausted, while other issues persist within the pig sector, including African swine fever, the current dire economic situation is critically urgent, and the sector can no longer survive without Government support or intervention; and
— the Irish Government has failed to make any additional supports available to our farmers, despite the tremendous financial pressures they face;
recognises that:
— the soaring cost of food, heating, fuel and housing is causing social inequality and real hardship and is pushing even more people into poverty;
— the carbon tax is the key contributing factor to Ireland's record cost-of-living increases, with transport inflation alone up over 18 per cent in the last year, motor fuels up over 22.6 per cent and home heating oil up a staggering 70 per cent;
— the proposed €200 rebate for household energy bills, while welcome, is completely inadequate given the magnitude of this crisis, which would see that payment eroded in even one household energy bill;
— rural residents who have little or no access to public transport are disproportionately impacted by the record fuel price hikes; and
— the primary drivers of the rising cost of living are within the policy, regulatory and fiscal control of Government; and
calls on the Government to:
— fully acknowledge that the spiraling cost-of-living crisis is now a national emergency and requires a comprehensive and robust package of measures aimed at supporting the less well off, rural residents and impacted sectors such as farming and transport operators;
— immediately act on the European Commission DIY toolbox aimed at mitigating the impact of higher energy prices, by slashing taxes and offering help to impacted households, motorists and sectors such as agriculture and road transport;
— introduce an emergency mini supplementary Budget without delay, aimed at tackling the cost-of-living crisis in a robust and meaningful way, and through a whole-of-Government approach by:
— providing for an immediate increase of €20 per week to all fixed social welfare payments, in order to address the current challenges to low-cost families and shield those people on fixed incomes against the financial pain of ongoing cost increases;
— reversing the decision to increase the carbon tax in Budget 2022 and beyond, until the full impact of the energy crisis is fully understood and a cost-to-benefit analysis undertaken, by whatever parliamentary means necessary, including new legislation, if required;
— reducing the excise duty on all motor fuel by at least 50 per cent until the energy crisis abates and a proper and common-sense plan for rural public transport alternatives is put in place in every rural community, and the purchase price point of electric cars is affordable to the ordinary motorist;
— reducing the excise duty on petrol (currently 62.77 cent per litre), and diesel (currently 51.9 cent per litre), by at least 50 per cent from now until the end of 2022, which alone would save around €18 on a €100 fill of petrol and diesel, for the regular motorist;
— reducing VAT on all motor fuels, electricity, and home heating oil to below 5 per cent until the end of 2022; and
— providing a funding package of at least €75 million to crippling farmers who are all struggling to pay for escalating input costs for fuel, animal feed and fertiliser;
— direct energy suppliers to commit to keeping the lights on for vulnerable and financially insecure customers, and make sure that there are flexible options available for people to address energy debts;
— acknowledge that the pig sector requires an immediate €30 million financial state-aid package to combat the explosive production cost increases and falling revenues;
— further acknowledge that the pig sector alone requires an immediate funding package of at least €30 million, in order to get through the current crisis; and
— fully recognise that for people in energy poverty, assistance is needed in the present, and while retrofitting offers a long-term answer to the high bills caused by inefficient and substandard housing as well as contributing to climate action targets, it is this winter that those people need the urgent support and not in some Governmental plan in six- or seven-years' time.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"notes that:
— the annual rate of consumer price inflation, as measured by the European Union's (EU) harmonised index of consumer prices, has picked up sharply in recent months, reaching a multi-decade high of 5.7 per cent in December before moderating somewhat to 5 per cent in January;
— the recent increase in inflation is partly a result of temporary factors related to the pandemic, which are expected to ease gradually over time;
— the key drivers of inflation in recent months are 'base effects', the imbalance between global demand and supply that has emerged as economies re-opened, and increases in global energy prices;
— Budget 2022 contained a large range of measures to protect households from the rising cost of living, including a personal income tax package worth €520 million next year and a social welfare package of over €550 million;
— the fuel allowance was increased by €5 per week to compensate lower income households for the additional energy costs they are likely to incur;
— in addition to the Budget 2022 measures announced in October last, the Government has this month approved a further package of measures to the value of €505 million to mitigate the cost of living including an increase in the energy credit to €200 including VAT, estimated to impact just over 2 million households;
— a lump sum payment of €125 on the fuel allowance will be paid to 390,000 recipients;
— there will be a temporary reduction in public transport fares of 20 per cent from the end of April to the end of the year;
— the reduction of the Drugs Payment Scheme from €144 to €80 will benefit just over 70,000 families;
— the Budget increase to the Working Family Payment will be brought forward from 1st June to 1st April;
— there are reduced caps for multiple children on school transport fees to €500 per family post primary and €150 for primary school children;
— Ireland is a small, open economy, where wage growth in excess of other economies erodes our competitiveness and puts future jobs and economic growth at risk;
— Budget 2022 provided a gross vote of €1.858 billion for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and this is in addition to almost €1.2 billion in EU funded direct payments received annually to support farm incomes;
— in October 2021, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine tasked Teagasc to lay out a credible roadmap to assist farmers in the short-term with the rise in fertiliser prices as well as offering a long-term solution in the move to reduce dependency on chemical fertiliser;
— the Minister launched the soils, nutrients and fertiliser campaign on 26th January last, a strategy that can ease the price pressure on farmers and will be good for the environment and for farmers' pockets, particularly in seeking to address the challenge of increased fertiliser prices;
— in January 2022, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine met with the main banks to discuss the current challenges in the pig sector and the importance of their ongoing support, with the key message that farmers experiencing cash flow difficulties should engage with the banks as soon as possible to discuss options and that the banks remain committed to supporting their customers in the period ahead;
— the Brexit Impact Loan Scheme and the Covid-19 Credit Guarantee Scheme, both of which are financed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in partnership with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, can be used for working capital and include features which will assist the current financial needs of pig farmers;
— Bord Bia has intensified its efforts to promote quality assured Irish pig meat in the domestic and export markets with dedicated TV, radio and national print media advertising campaigns planned for Q1 2022, and also has two EU programmes that have significant funding allocated towards pig meat promotional activity currently running in China, Mexico, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines; and
— Teagasc has intensified its dedicated, ongoing advisory supports being provided to pig farmers and is actively engaging with pig farmers to explore financial options potentially available to them and to assist in discussions with financial institutions; and
recognises that:
— the Government has been pro-active in limiting the fall-out from higher rates of inflation;
— to support households and firms, the Government has made available €48 billion of fiscal support during the pandemic, one of the most significant policy responses of any country in the world;
— this has led to a significant increase in the general Government debt of around 11 per cent of national income; and
— Ireland's public debt is almost a quarter of a trillion euros as a result, and among the highest in the developed world on a per capita basis."
-(Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Charlie McConalogue)

I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding a supplementary budget for rural communities and farmers. On Wednesday, 23 February 2022, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.

Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 73; Níl, 61; Staon, 0.

  • Browne, James.
  • Bruton, Richard.
  • Burke, Colm.
  • Burke, Peter.
  • Butler, Mary.
  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Cahill, Jackie.
  • Calleary, Dara.
  • Cannon, Ciarán.
  • Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
  • Chambers, Jack.
  • Collins, Niall.
  • Costello, Patrick.
  • Coveney, Simon.
  • Cowen, Barry.
  • Crowe, Cathal.
  • Devlin, Cormac.
  • Donnelly, Stephen.
  • Donohoe, Paschal.
  • Duffy, Francis Noel.
  • Durkan, Bernard J.
  • English, Damien.
  • Farrell, Alan.
  • Feighan, Frankie.
  • Flaherty, Joe.
  • Flanagan, Charles.
  • Fleming, Sean.
  • Foley, Norma.
  • Griffin, Brendan.
  • Harris, Simon.
  • Haughey, Seán.
  • Heydon, Martin.
  • Higgins, Emer.
  • Hourigan, Neasa.
  • Humphreys, Heather.
  • Kehoe, Paul.
  • Lahart, John.
  • Lawless, James.
  • Leddin, Brian.
  • Martin, Catherine.
  • Matthews, Steven.
  • McAuliffe, Paul.
  • McConalogue, Charlie.
  • McEntee, Helen.
  • McGrath, Michael.
  • McHugh, Joe.
  • Moynihan, Aindrias.
  • Moynihan, Michael.
  • Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • Noonan, Malcolm.
  • O'Brien, Darragh.
  • O'Brien, Joe.
  • O'Callaghan, Jim.
  • O'Connor, James.
  • O'Dea, Willie.
  • O'Donnell, Kieran.
  • O'Donovan, Patrick.
  • O'Dowd, Fergus.
  • O'Gorman, Roderic.
  • O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
  • Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
  • Ó Cuív, Éamon.
  • Phelan, John Paul.
  • Rabbitte, Anne.
  • Richmond, Neale.
  • Ring, Michael.
  • Ryan, Eamon.
  • Smith, Brendan.
  • Smyth, Niamh.
  • Smyth, Ossian.
  • Stanton, David.
  • Varadkar, Leo.

Níl

  • Andrews, Chris.
  • Bacik, Ivana.
  • Barry, Mick.
  • Berry, Cathal.
  • Boyd Barrett, Richard.
  • Brady, John.
  • Browne, Martin.
  • Buckley, Pat.
  • Canney, Seán.
  • Carthy, Matt.
  • Clarke, Sorca.
  • Collins, Joan.
  • Collins, Michael.
  • Conway-Walsh, Rose.
  • Cronin, Réada.
  • Crowe, Seán.
  • Cullinane, David.
  • Doherty, Pearse.
  • Donnelly, Paul.
  • Ellis, Dessie.
  • Farrell, Mairéad.
  • Fitzmaurice, Michael.
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter.
  • Funchion, Kathleen.
  • Gould, Thomas.
  • Guirke, Johnny.
  • Healy-Rae, Danny.
  • Healy-Rae, Michael.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • Kenny, Martin.
  • Kerrane, Claire.
  • Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
  • McDonald, Mary Lou.
  • McGrath, Mattie.
  • McNamara, Michael.
  • Mitchell, Denise.
  • Munster, Imelda.
  • Murphy, Catherine.
  • Murphy, Paul.
  • Murphy, Verona.
  • Mythen, Johnny.
  • Nash, Ged.
  • Naughten, Denis.
  • Nolan, Carol.
  • O'Callaghan, Cian.
  • O'Donoghue, Richard.
  • O'Reilly, Louise.
  • O'Rourke, Darren.
  • Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
  • Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
  • Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
  • Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
  • Pringle, Thomas.
  • Quinlivan, Maurice.
  • Ryan, Patricia.
  • Sherlock, Sean.
  • Shortall, Róisín.
  • Smith, Bríd.
  • Smith, Duncan.
  • Stanley, Brian.
  • Tully, Pauline.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 73; Níl, 61; Staon, 0.

  • Browne, James.
  • Bruton, Richard.
  • Burke, Colm.
  • Burke, Peter.
  • Butler, Mary.
  • Byrne, Thomas.
  • Cahill, Jackie.
  • Calleary, Dara.
  • Cannon, Ciarán.
  • Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
  • Chambers, Jack.
  • Collins, Niall.
  • Costello, Patrick.
  • Coveney, Simon.
  • Cowen, Barry.
  • Crowe, Cathal.
  • Devlin, Cormac.
  • Donnelly, Stephen.
  • Donohoe, Paschal.
  • Duffy, Francis Noel.
  • Durkan, Bernard J.
  • English, Damien.
  • Farrell, Alan.
  • Feighan, Frankie.
  • Flaherty, Joe.
  • Flanagan, Charles.
  • Fleming, Sean.
  • Foley, Norma.
  • Griffin, Brendan.
  • Harris, Simon.
  • Haughey, Seán.
  • Heydon, Martin.
  • Higgins, Emer.
  • Hourigan, Neasa.
  • Humphreys, Heather.
  • Kehoe, Paul.
  • Lahart, John.
  • Lawless, James.
  • Leddin, Brian.
  • Martin, Catherine.
  • Matthews, Steven.
  • McAuliffe, Paul.
  • McConalogue, Charlie.
  • McEntee, Helen.
  • McGrath, Michael.
  • McHugh, Joe.
  • Moynihan, Aindrias.
  • Moynihan, Michael.
  • Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
  • Naughton, Hildegarde.
  • Noonan, Malcolm.
  • O'Brien, Darragh.
  • O'Brien, Joe.
  • O'Callaghan, Jim.
  • O'Connor, James.
  • O'Dea, Willie.
  • O'Donnell, Kieran.
  • O'Donovan, Patrick.
  • O'Dowd, Fergus.
  • O'Gorman, Roderic.
  • O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
  • Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
  • Ó Cuív, Éamon.
  • Phelan, John Paul.
  • Rabbitte, Anne.
  • Richmond, Neale.
  • Ring, Michael.
  • Ryan, Eamon.
  • Smith, Brendan.
  • Smyth, Niamh.
  • Smyth, Ossian.
  • Stanton, David.
  • Varadkar, Leo.

Níl

  • Andrews, Chris.
  • Bacik, Ivana.
  • Barry, Mick.
  • Berry, Cathal.
  • Boyd Barrett, Richard.
  • Brady, John.
  • Browne, Martin.
  • Buckley, Pat.
  • Canney, Seán.
  • Carthy, Matt.
  • Clarke, Sorca.
  • Collins, Joan.
  • Collins, Michael.
  • Conway-Walsh, Rose.
  • Cronin, Réada.
  • Crowe, Seán.
  • Cullinane, David.
  • Doherty, Pearse.
  • Donnelly, Paul.
  • Ellis, Dessie.
  • Farrell, Mairéad.
  • Fitzmaurice, Michael.
  • Fitzpatrick, Peter.
  • Funchion, Kathleen.
  • Gould, Thomas.
  • Guirke, Johnny.
  • Healy-Rae, Danny.
  • Healy-Rae, Michael.
  • Howlin, Brendan.
  • Kenny, Martin.
  • Kerrane, Claire.
  • Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
  • McDonald, Mary Lou.
  • McGrath, Mattie.
  • McNamara, Michael.
  • Mitchell, Denise.
  • Munster, Imelda.
  • Murphy, Catherine.
  • Murphy, Paul.
  • Murphy, Verona.
  • Mythen, Johnny.
  • Nash, Ged.
  • Naughten, Denis.
  • Nolan, Carol.
  • O'Callaghan, Cian.
  • O'Donoghue, Richard.
  • O'Reilly, Louise.
  • O'Rourke, Darren.
  • Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
  • Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
  • Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
  • Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
  • Pringle, Thomas.
  • Quinlivan, Maurice.
  • Ryan, Patricia.
  • Sherlock, Sean.
  • Shortall, Róisín.
  • Smith, Bríd.
  • Smith, Duncan.
  • Stanley, Brian.
  • Tully, Pauline.

Staon

Tellers: Tá, Deputies Jack Chambers and Brendan Griffin; Níl, Deputies Mattie McGrath and Carol Nolan.
Question declared carried.
Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 9.11 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Dé Déardaoin, an 24 Feabhra 2022.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.11 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Thursday, 24 February 2022.
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