Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
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I thank the witnesses for engaging with the committee on these issues. As noted, the disconnection moratorium has come to an end. All members of the committee should be raising that with the Minister, particularly with reference to people who have registered as vulnerable energy users. As the witnesses pointed out, householders may have built up cumulative bills over the winter. They might think it is all over now and they are okay as they will not have to use as much energy now that winter is over. However, people could be disconnected during the summer and will not then have access to energy in the coming winter. This is a really important issue and one the committee should raise formally with the Minister.

On progressing the management of vulnerability, the witnesses referred to the requirement for legislative change. Have they drawn up any legislation, or even the bones of legislation, to deal with people on very low incomes who are vulnerable energy customers?

Community energy advisers sound similar to community welfare officers in the role they would play. The concept is good, of having advisers in the community able to deal with people who are particularly vulnerable to energy poverty and are struggling with energy costs. As far as I know, there are no such advisers in place in communities and I do not know whether the Minister is willing to put them in place. Will the witnesses indicate whether such people are, in fact, in place in some communities? Will they update us on what we need to do to push this on and get more of them into communities? Such a service would play an important role, particularly for people on low incomes who are really struggling to pay their bills. Again, we should act quickly to engage with the Minister on the ending of the disconnection moratorium. If people are disconnected now because they cannot pay their bills, it will have a huge impact next winter on those who are most vulnerable.

In regard to retrofitting, the Chairperson mentioned that rural communities are particularly affected by the VAT on home heating oil. I acknowledge this is a huge issue for people in rural areas. However, it is also an issue in cities. If the allocation to the Dublin councils to retrofit housing and provide a wraparound service remains the same year on year, their whole stock will not be retrofitted until 2032. That is outrageous and it is another issue we must raise.

If the Government were serious about this, it would have effective policies for putting money into councils to encourage them to get the local authority retrofits done much more quickly. I will leave it at that and allow the witnesses to respond.