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

I cannot accept this amendment for the reasons that we outlined at some length on Committee Stage. To summarise, detailed comprehensive information on the retail energy market, including the state of competition in that market, is already being reported on and published on an ongoing basis by the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER. As the Minister, I am regularly updated by the regulator on developments and the state of competition. I have no statutory function in regard to the regulation of either the electricity or gas market. Responsibility for their regulation is a matter for the regulator, which is an independent statutory body. The functions of the regulator include protecting the interests of final customers, including the disadvantaged and the elderly. The regulator is also responsible for promoting efficient, orderly, fair and competitive markets and for monitoring competition.

Prices in the electricity retail market are fully deregulated. Prices in the gas market are also deregulated, with the exception of gas prices charged by Bord Gáis Energy to its domestic customers. Therefore, customers can avail of competitive offerings from suppliers. Prices are set by suppliers and are commercial and operational matters for them.

The regulator is accountable to the Oireachtas. Indeed, the commissioners have appeared before the joint committees of the Oireachtas a number of times on a range of issues. The regulator is required to report on an annual basis to the European Commission, detailing its economic role in associated policy developments. Its report includes details of developments in regard to competition in the energy markets.

In addition, in carrying out its consumer protection and market monitoring roles, the CER publishes quarterly and annual reports on the development of competition in the market. The information provided in the annual report includes prices and commentary on developments. All of these reports are publicly available on the website.

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