The plan to extend the carbon levy to home heating fuels on 1st May should be suspended until the Government has measures in place to assist low income families meet the higher fuel costs according to local Labour TD Seán Sherlock.

"Poorer households are facing a double fuel whammy at the end of this week. The fuel allowance "season" which runs from September to April each year for over 300,000 families, is set to end this week. On May 1st, next Saturday, the new Carbon Levy comes into force on some home heating products," he said.

Deputy Sherlock added that for people who rely on oil for their home-heating the impact is particularly severe.

"The retail price of home heating oil is due to rise by up to 8.7% because of the carbon levy. The price of home heating oil has already risen by 37.6% in the last year, according to the CSO. It also comes on top of the huge expense of heating homes during one of the coldest winters for decades," he explained.

"In his Budget speech, the Minister for Finance promised that "a vouched fuel allowance scheme will be developed to offset the increases for low income families dependant on such fuel. However, it has never been precisely clear which fuels these vouchers will apply to, when the scheme would start, and which households would qualify. In the Dáil last week, Minister O'Cuiv confessed he simply didn't know when a new scheme might start."

Deputy Sherlock said it is shameful that the Government plans to introduce the Carbon Levy on home heating products without first working out how they would assist poorer households to pay for it.

"There are many people who will simply not be able to afford the extra cost of heating their home. The Government appears to be oblivious to this fact. Whether it is by an extended fuel allowance scheme or a new home insulation scheme, it should have been possible to have this worked out long before the levy hit people's pockets," he added.