Ms Aoife MacEvilly:

We very much recognise, and I should have mentioned this during the presentation, the importance of explaining this to customers and bring them along with us. One of the key areas on which we are currently working with ESB Networks and suppliers is a communications strategy. We are starting to roll out the meters in 2019 but the smart services will not be available until 2021. We realise there is a gap in that regard. We will not be going out with a big singing and dancing national advertising campaign about smart meters when they will not be very smart for two years. It will be more about informing customers, making sure there is information available to address any concerns they have in advance of the meters being installed in their areas and then, as we get to the point where the smart services are turned on, we will step up the information campaign to ensure customers can understand how they can benefit from having a smart meter, how they can avail of it and the offers available from their supplier. There will be much more information coming down the tracks then as we move through the phases of the roll-out. That strategy is core and I thank the Deputy for this opportunity to set it out.