Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

That is the interesting part of it. All the evidence suggests that the Government is impervious to the needs of consumers, including householders, factory owners and shopkeepers. Every house, factory and office in this country is affected by energy prices in one way or another. Employment is affected by energy prices. Even though many jobs have been lost from this country to more competitive parts of the world in recent years, the Government has remained inactive. Its representatives have muttered and mooched around the subject of the impartiality and independence of the regulator, which is amazing. It seems that the regulator is now sacrosanct and the Government is no longer effective or active.

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