Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The issue that was apparent last week was around the fees being capped since 2017. Certainly, with rising utility bills and inflationary costs, there is a huge fear about survival among many of these providers. As local public representatives we hear this on a daily, if not weekly basis. What are the Department's intentions? There certainly is an imbalance in the system at present for those who are now entering and setting fees at a higher rate compared with those who are restricted by entering the core funding model. What will the Department do to rectify this?