Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The Government welcomes the recent decision of the Commission for Energy Regulation not to increase the price of gas and electricity. The reason for recent significant increases in those prices was the rise in commodity prices. That upward trend is now turned on its head, with commodity prices falling back to where they were 18 months ago. Yet the Government celebrates the fact that there has not been another increase in prices. It seems that when commodity prices rise there is a corresponding increase in utility prices but, when they fall, the Government merely congratulates itself that there is no further increase. Surely there should be an increase when commodity prices rise and a decrease when they fall. That seems logical but it is clearly not the view of the Government.

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