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🇮🇪 Ireland /Economy & Trade

Taoiseach says there may be no room for energy credits in Budget 2027

From Irish Times · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the government is unlikely to restore energy credits in its second budget, though it has not ruled out some one-off payments.
  • Martin said the budget would target cost-of-living pressures while prioritizing ongoing spending on childcare and disability services.
  • He also defended recent immigration changes, saying asylum applications and accommodation costs had fallen and returns were being handled efficiently.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there may not be enough room to bring back energy credits when the government presents its second budget next month.

Speaking at Fianna Fáil’s think-in in Tullamore, County Offaly, Martin did not completely rule out some one-off payments. But he said such measures would reduce the government’s ability to fund areas including childcare and disability supports.

We want to reduce the cost of childcare. The more you put into one-off payments, the less you have to reduce childcare costs.

· Micheál MartinThe taoiseach explained why the government may prioritize ongoing childcare support over renewed energy credits.

“We want to reduce the cost of childcare. The more you put into one-off payments, the less you have to reduce childcare costs,” he said. A payment of €1 billion or €2 billion, he added, would limit the government’s capacity to address issues that affect people on an ongoing basis. “So energy credits for everybody, I can’t see the capacity being there to do that,” he told reporters.

So energy credits for everybody, I can’t see the capacity being there to do that.

· Micheál MartinMartin said the government was unlikely to restore universal energy credits in the next budget.

Martin said the budget would seek to ease cost-of-living pressures through both tax and spending measures. He also said proposed changes to citizenship requirements would be considered by the government this week, while praising reforms already made to the immigration system.

“We have a firmer and more robust migration system now,” Martin said. He said asylum-seeker numbers had fallen over the past 12 months, returns were being carried out efficiently, and the EU asylum pact was working. Accommodation costs had also declined significantly, he said. Martin added that temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees “was never meant to be a path to citizenship” and that many refugees would be needed back in Ukraine after the war.

We have a firmer and more robust migration system now.

· Micheál MartinThe taoiseach defended recent changes to Ireland’s immigration system.

Asked about his leadership, Martin said the entire parliamentary party was united behind him and focused on the issues that matter to voters. Fianna Fáil lawmakers, senators and members of the European Parliament are meeting in Tullamore for two days before the Dáil returns next week.

was never meant to be a path to citizenship

· Micheál MartinMartin described the intended status of temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees.
About this summary

Originally published by Irish Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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