Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am unsure of the provenance of the Deputy's information, but the fact is that the supply company is supposed to offer such a person the option of having a pay-as-you-go meter installed rather than disconnection. The accumulated arrears at the time are put on the meter and cleared over a period. It is important that the Deputy has raised this issue at this time of the year. The net point is that we should try to increase the uptake of pay-as-you-go meters or prepayment plans. Under the protocol, where these are in place, the supply companies may not disconnect. Many factors are involved. The supply companies, whether it be ESB Networks or Bord Gáis, although they are State companies, have a commercial remit and are now operating in a competitive marketplace.

I am concerned about the second point the Deputy made. That matter is covered in the remaining part of my script and relates to the length of time it takes to make a disconnection.

The agreement in place at present requires the disconnection to be carried out within two working days. I accept that a disconnection on a Thursday evening can be problematic and I will talk to the supply companies about that.

On the net issue, in circumstances where one third of all disconnections are vacant premises, one need not be too observant that there are plenty of vacant premises around the place for the reasons that we know. Some others are due to debt hopping - customers swapping from one supplier to another - and that issue must be addressed. In the cases of genuine hardship to which Deputy Regina Doherty refers, however, it is essential that those persons opt for the pay-as-you-go meter or enter into a pre-payment plan after which they may not be disconnected.

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