Sinn Féin has accused Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael of political cowardice by not backing its motion to scrap plans to restrict turf sales and to stop the Carbon Tax increase due to come into effect next week.
Pearse Doherty was speaking after the Government defeated a Sinn Féin Dáil motion last night that had sought to scrap plans to restrict the sale of turf.
The motion had sought approval to scrap plans to restrict the sale of turf, cancel the carbon tax increase on 1 May and to temporarily remove excise duty on home heating oil.
Another motion from the Rural Independent group to remove carbon tax was also defeated.
Speaking in the Dáil, Pearse Doherty said turf is used by up to 30% of homes in some counties and these households have no other source of home heating.
He claimed that more than 2,800 people die of fuel poverty every year and people in his constituency soon won't be able to buy a load of turf.
Sinn Féin TD @PearseDoherty asks Green Party leader @EamonRyan, "do you now accept that the turf ban idea was a daft idea and now needs to be ditched?" | More: https://t.co/sUfdaULezA pic.twitter.com/nALFSV71cd
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 28, 2022
This figure was disputed by Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan, who said it dated back to a 25-year-old report.
The Green Party leader also said that 1,300 families are losing a loved one every year as result of air pollution.
He said it would be easy to walk away and to do nothing but this issue cannot be ignored. To do so would be reckless and a disregard of duty, he added.
Mr Ryan said Government can deliver practical measures that will protect people's health and address fuel poverty.
He insisted that there will not be an outright ban on turf sales, but Government will not ignore the deaths caused by air pollution.
However he said the legal advice from the Attorney General was that turf sales had to be included in any move to ban the use of smoky coal across the country.
Minister Ryan also told the Dáil the Government is working with the Economic and Social Research Institute and UCD to develop models to design "targeted solutions" to help those at risk of fuel poverty.
He was speaking in Leaders' Questions in response to Independent TD Marian Harkin, who called for carers to be given the fuel allowance.
Earlier, the Minister for Agriculture called for a "sensible and balanced approach" to the move away from fossil fuels.
Speaking to RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Charlie McConalogue said that burning turf is "fading out, reducing over time".
Mr McConalogue said that burning smoky coal is "making a really damaging impact in relation to air quality".
"It's important that we focus on making real progress and the real target here has to be the move away from smoky coal," he said.
This Government has shown "massive commitment and action" in relation to climate change, he claimed.
The minister added that the legislative target of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions remains one of its "core objectives".
