Mr. Paul McGowan:

To address Deputy Colreavy's question on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we are aware it has been using more of its funds for payment of bills in hardship cases. The average annual gas bill in Ireland is approximately €982 and the average annual electricity bill is approximately €1,200. A typical household incurs just in excess of approximately €2,100 to €2,200 per year in energy bills. Referring back to the graph we showed earlier, prices have been increasing throughout Europe since 2008. I do not have the exact figures but the €500 in the context of an overall energy bill of €2,200 would not be completely unreasonable given the changes in gas and electricity prices which have occurred since 2008. I cannot give specific numbers and I will have to come back to the Deputy.