Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is very important legislation. We have known for some time the struggle that some households face when it comes to energy costs. Of course, that situation is now worse than ever, given the cost of living crisis and the particular crisis that families and households face as electricity and gas prices continue to rise. As we all know, suppliers have been increasing prices further and have been doing so consistently for the past year. In particular, in the past number of weeks, we have seen increases announced by SSE Airtricity, Electric Ireland, Flogas, Bord Gáis and the list goes on.

This is an issue about which the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in particular, has been raising the alarm for quite some time. It has repeatedly said that there is a need for stronger interventions. This Bill is one such intervention. It is important for the Minister to have the power to instruct the CRU to ban disconnections, particularly for that period of the fuel allowance season when people face real difficulties in relation to heating their homes. We have to also remember the impact on a household of being disconnected and not being able to turn on the lights or heating in the home. We have to remember the impact that must have on vulnerable households, older people, lone parents, carers and children in households and in families. These are children who are getting in the morning and going to school and perhaps coming home to a house that is cold or where there is literally no electricity. In 2022, it is something that should be absolutely avoided, and this is a Bill that would certainly play its part in doing that.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been raising the difficulty households, in particular vulnerable households, are experiencing, most recently as costs continue to rise. A recent REDC poll on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul showed that the number of people reporting that they are finding it difficult to manage financially has doubled since the start of the pandemic in 2020, from 9% at that time to 18% in January of this year. That is, and should be, a huge matter of concern for all of us in this House. That REDC survey also found that almost 40% of people have cut back on essential heating and electricity; almost 40% of people are worried or quite worried about their ability to meet their household energy costs; and 66% of lone parents are worried about their ability to meet their household energy costs in the next six months. This is very recent data. These are real life stories and situations that people find themselves in.

For the past two years, MABS has been warning of the tsunami of debt that is coming. It warned about that on the back of Covid-19 when we were supposed to be emerging out of it but, of course, we did not foresee the energy crisis that was coming and continues to impact on so many households and families across the State.

There is a particular worry there for people who reply on prepay meters. The data are fairly poor and we need to ensure that companies that are providing prepay meters are keeping an eye on the gaps in between when people can pay and when those meters are not functioning and people are going without. There is a need for far greater data in regard to all of this, but there is also a need for the Government to act. This is an important power that we can put on the Minister to give him or her the ability to ensure that during, for example, the fuel allowance season, there is a ban on disconnections to ensure that when we have very cold weather and people are struggling to heat their homes, they will at the very least know they are not going to be cut off. That is a very basic protection that can be offered to people during the fuel allowance season in particular. It is an important power for the Minister. This is an important issue and it is not something that should be just left to the CRU. It should be the case that the Minister can instruct at times when it is necessary. We should know now, given the cost-of-living crisis we are in. If we ever needed to know how much people are struggling, we can see it today more than ever. This is one measure and one piece of legislation that can make a difference to families and households. I ask that it would be considered by the Government.

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