Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

——and that the consumer's interest is protected. The National Consumer Agency established by the Minister, Deputy Martin, will provide a stronger voice to the consumer. That is to be welcomed.

The question is whether we should remain with our current cost base regulation which we, as Members of this House, passed in this Oireachtas or move to incentive based regulation. Those are the questions that must be put to Members when we review the regulator's role because the regulator has a function to ensure costs are recovered by the ESB. We have laid out that role for the regulator.

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