The Opposition called for a Dáil vote in the first five minutes of the emergency sitting over the length of the debate to ensure excise increases do not go ahead on petrol and diesel from Monday.The Opposition hit out at the Dáil debate being confined to just 60 minutes with the cost-of-living crisis but Government Chief Whip Mary Butler said they were dealing with a single financial resolution.“The time allocated is exactly the same one-hour debate that we have had for four previous financial resolutions in March and April,” when the House voted to cut excise on fuels “We are not here today to announce a budget,” she said. “That will happen on October the 6th.”The Cabinet held an incorporeal meeting on Thursday to approve a two-month deferral on planned increases in the price of diesel and petrol which had been due to commence on September 1st.The short video-link meeting gave effect to a decision flagged by Minister for Finance and Tánaiste Simon Harris last week. Because the decision relates to changes to excise, the Dáil was recalled today for a special sitting where TDs will debate and vote on the change. Sinn Féin whip Pádraig MacLochlainn led the rejection of the one-hour debate and said “It’s been six weeks since we were gathered here. Prices are going through the roof. There’s a serious crisis out there, and you’ve allocated one hour, one hour here today” which he said was “unacceptable”. Echoing his call Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said “the cost of living crisis is causing huge pressure for households around the country, and this Government has shown contempt and disdain for those households by only giving the absolute bare minimum of 60 minutes here”.Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit said “it’s a pathetic admission about the failure of the Government’s policy to actually address an entirely predictable situation in terms of petrol prices, the cost of living, and you don’t even want to discuss it”.Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said “part of this debate is now going to kick out the farmers’ rebate for farmer contractors.“That’s not going to be tolerated,” he said. “It could lead to strikes in this country that we do not need to see again, and we need further debate and proper debate here today.”The Government Chief Whip said: “The public out there are awaiting the certainty that filling up at the pumps won’t be increasing because of excise increases, and we need to get on with providing that certainty.”The Government won the vote over the length of the debate by 80 to 71 and the debate began.