Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. The reason most of these people were tempted into fixed-price contracts was following promises of reduced costs to them. While I accept what the Minister of State has outlined that much of the increase in electricity costs is outside of our control, it is not all outside of our control and we have made decisions that have impacted on energy price increases. Consumers in my constituency entered into a fixed-price contract. Such a contract is very simple, it means that a person is on that price for better or worse. Because of market trends, the company has added a market charge, which in one case is an increase of 100% in electricity costs. Where are the consumer's rights in this regard? People switched because they were told they would save and they have made savings in recent years but, unfortunately, the saving has disappeared overnight. For these consumers, a 12-month saving is gone in a two-month period. Have electricity suppliers that have offered fixed-price contracts to consumers the remit to put an additional market charge on them? Where are the consumer rights in this regard? Customers signed a contract believing they would have stable prices for the duration of the contract, but the electricity supplier has completely changed the ground rules and has imposed a significant price increase on them. Can suppliers impose a massive increase under the cloak of an additional market change on consumers in fixed-price contracts?

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