Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact the Government has finally come around at least to evaluating, to use the Minister's word, a windfall tax on extraordinary profits. This is a proposal the Government voted against in January when the Labour Party included it as part of our cost-of-living motion. We know energy companies like the ESB, which are not immediately tied into rising prices, made €679 million in profits last year, as thousands of homeowners struggled to pay soaring energy bills. Next week, ESB's Electric Ireland will go ahead with a near 25% increase in electricity and gas prices. We know that a conservative estimate, based on 2020 figures, suggests this could raise to the tune of €60 million to help pay for cost-of-living supports for households. Will the Minister of State give us a clearer indication as to the timelines for the completion of the evaluation?

See this speech in context