Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister what he is going to do as the Minister with responsibility for energy. I refer to those actions he actually could take this week if he had the political will to do so. Electric Ireland has, as we know, joined Bord Gais and Energia in hiking its prices. Its 1.3 million customers will now pay 23% more for electricity and 25% more for gas. The standing charge is also going up by a whopping 36%, so even if people reduce their energy use as the Minister suggests, the companies will still manage to fleece people. While families are struggling heat their homes, the ESB is not exactly struggling to break even. It made bumper profits of €680 million last year. Other energy companies are similarly cash rich. If they were compelled to put customers on their most beneficial tariff instead of instantly jacking up prices at the end of an introductory 12-month contract, their profit margins would decline slightly but it would make a huge difference to their vulnerable customers.

The Government is not some kind of innocent bystander in all of this. It cannot just wring its hands as the Minister is doing and watch dispassionately from the sidelines as workers and families are squeezed for every penny they are worth. There are things the Government can do in the form of targeted measures that would make a real difference to those most in need. Age Action Ireland has highlighted that just a third of older people get the fuel allowance and the payment is not keeping pace with soaring energy price rises. It wants the Government to replace the fuel allowance with an energy guarantee that would mean a guaranteed number of free units of energy per month instead of a cash payment. This would mean more people qualify for assistance and would insulate them from sudden price shocks. This is the only way to insulate people from price shocks.

If they were forced to wait for the Minister's retrofitting scheme, they would never be warm. Nearly 7,000 low-income households are now on waiting lists for more than two years to get work done on their homes. They are the lucky ones because they actually qualify for the Minister's schemes. If you are not in receipt of a social welfare payment but are on a low or middle income it is tough luck and you have no choice but to take out a loan that in all likelihood you cannot afford. Workers and families cannot use Green Party hot air to warm their homes. They need the Minister to deliver for them and meet his targets instead of constantly missing them.

I have a few questions. Will the Minister compel energy companies to place customers on their most beneficial tariff? Will he replace the fuel allowance with an energy guarantee? Will he do more than just talk about retrofitting, for the many people who are excluded?

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