Cabinet set to approve energy payments

Households are due to receive the first of three €200 energy credits next month

Households are due to receive a €200 energy credit next month, with a further two instalments expected in January and March.

Cabinet is expected to give approval to start the first of three €200 energy payments to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan will bring a memo to Cabinet which will give effect to the legislation that will allow for various energy aspects of the budget.

This also includes provisions for the climate action fund to be reimbursed from the exchequer, as well as the reduction in the National Oil Reserves Agency levy which was announced to offset the increase in the carbon tax.

Households are due to receive their first €200 energy credit next month with credits set to be applied automatically to accounts.

A further two instalments of an energy credit are expected in January and March and the cost-of-living measure is set to cost the State €1.2bn.

Another additional element of Mr Ryan’s memo, emerging late on Monday, is a provision to ensure that Traveller families who often pay their local authority for energy used will also receive the credit. This will happen by the Government essentially asking local authorities to give the money to Travellers to discount their bills.

Cabinet is also to sign off on the policy for issuing billions of euro to Irish farmers over the next five years.

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue will bring the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to Cabinet to get the go-ahead for commencing a range of schemes and supports under the €9.8bn programme.

'Farmer-friendly'

Mr McConalogue has described the next CAP as “farmer-friendly”.

The incoming CAP has the highest ever level of environmental ambition, including a €1.5bn agri-environmental scheme called Acres which will pay farmers up to €10,500 each.

For the first time, the next CAP has specific measures to support female farmers as well as increased payments for organic farmers, suckler farmers, and tillage farmers.

Speaking ahead of Cabinet, Mr McConalogue said: “The next CAP is well-funded and farmer-friendly.

“It is aimed at supporting farm incomes while also ensuring that farm families continue to play their key role in food production and protecting the environment.

“The next CAP is our most ambitious ever and I am excited to see it roll out over the coming years.”

Concrete levy

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the details of the concrete levy have to be "fleshed out" following backlash that the 10% levy could add thousands to the cost of buying a house.

However, he defended the budgetary measure despite political controversy and warnings of price increases from representatives of the construction industry.

Sinn Féin will bring a motion before the Dáil on Tuesday to call on the Government to scrap the concrete levy and to “hold those actually responsible for housing defects to account”.

Sinn Féin is calling for a defects levy that instead focuses on the banks, the profits of big developers, and those responsible for defects.

Mr Martin said: “The Finance Bill will deal with this issue in terms of fleshing out the proposals.”

He said significant expenditure is needed for the mica redress scheme and a revenue stream is required to assist, and the details on the levy “will be worked out”