Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

Everyone in the House is agreed on the implications of fuel poverty. They have been accentuated this year in an era of crazy energy hikes. As well as calling on the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Mary Hanafin, to consider fuel allowances, I ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Mary Coughlan, to focus the resources of the National Consumer Agency on the prices being charged. It seems that as oil prices increase our daily fuel prices increase in tandem. However, when oil prices decrease the speed of decrease does not seem to match what is occurring in the world markets. The National Consumer Agency and the Competition Authority should prioritise these matters in the coming days and weeks as we come into a time of maximum use.

Another issue that will assist the alleviation of fuel poverty is the increase of energy supply. In the past few years the Government and its predecessor have done much work to increase the availability of gas supply throughout the country. In County Mayo, this is manifested by the gas west project which, with the work of local communities and local councils, ensured that the regulator was in a position to change the rules on the eligibility of towns to qualify for gas supply. Such supplies have been taken for granted for many years. This project is coming on stream as we speak. I pay tribute to Bord Gáis Éireann for its management and roll out of the project, which serves as a model for other State organisations. We now have choices in our energy usage. Previously we were completely dependent on the ESB for business and domestic fuel, but we now have a choice between electricity and gas. Gas is considerably cheaper. There needs to be a good deal more promotion of the benefits and relative cheapness of gas for domestic users. This will address the fuel poverty issues identified by previous speakers. There must be continued expansion of the project to include towns such as Belmullet and other towns across east Mayo. The viability in these areas is no longer in question. A speedy roll-out is required now to give customers a choice, the power to use that choice to reduce their regular fuel bills and alleviate the difficulties caused by fuel poverty.

Our daily energy management has been referred to by previous speakers. The smart meter project will be very important and I have heard much talk about that project since I became a Member of this House. However, to date there are no meters in any houses. A pilot scheme is due to be announced and rolled out shortly. Do we need a pilot scheme at this stage? We know how beneficial smart meters are and we know the information and choices they provide to consumers. Let us roll out the project. Since it has worked internationally there is no reason it should not work in Ireland. We should design the meters to be user friendly, so that people can examine them and understand directly what they mean for the energy bills at the end of every month, rather then referring to units which nobody understands. When a person receives his or her ESB bill, the number of units means nothing. What matters is the cost at the bottom of the bill. Unless the cost is displayed on the meters they will not have the desired impact.

Other technologies such as wind energy are becoming available. Investments in wave energy should come on stream as soon as possible. We are very reluctant to adopt wind energy. We seem to be moving very slowly towards using these forms of energy to meet part of our day-to-day electricity requirements. There is considerable dissent around the planning process for wind energy. There must be a good deal more education on wind energy and turbines by the Department and the energy providers. It is remarkable that we are so slow in rolling out the wave energy projects, given that we are an island nation. We are surrounded by the Atlantic, one of the most powerful seas in the world. This too has the power to increase the sources of supply and thereby reduce the bills at the end of the month.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Deputy Hanafin, should alert her welfare officers to the fact that many people who qualify may not look for the fuel allowance. Those who previously qualified for the allowance may need that help this year. Community welfare officers should be given the discretion to help out on a one-off basis.

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