Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----and in the face of, effectively, a mad tyrant in Russia causing a war, there should be unity around the place. We should take good ideas from the Opposition, which we are doing, and Opposition Deputies should also give some acknowledgment of the work under way, which is extraordinary work by all governments in the face of this crisis, and work with us to get the best results for the people, which is what this Government is determined to do.

Nothing can be ruled out. We do not like the Sinn Féin price cap. I do not like it at all. However, I am long enough around here to know that not nothing can ever be ruled out in a crisis. The way gas and electricity prices are linked has been going on for a long time and worked very well for many years. Maybe a few years ago it would have been unthinkable to intervene in the market that way, put a cap on the price of gas and take revenues off companies that were developing renewable energy because that would disincentivise them. We have all got to think the unthinkable but we must do it in a reasonable way and acknowledge what governments have been doing. To directly and immediately relieve the pressure on households facing exceptional energy bills, the Government has provided €2.4 billion in a package of policies and measures to help energy customers, particularly through the summer months. We were fortunate this summer and even into September with the mild weather and that has given everyone a break, but the Government has given people a break too. We have had an electricity cost credit that has applied to more than 2.1 million domestic electricity accounts, a reduction in VAT on electricity and gas bills and increases to the fuel allowance for the most vulnerable to ensure our measures, while universal and broad-based, are also targeted at the most vulnerable.

The NESF, which was approved by Government and published in April, sets out our response to our energy security needs in the context of the invasion of Ukraine and our specific national circumstances.

The storage review was published yesterday as well. Some Members felt it had not been published but it was. The CRU is managing a programme of work to address challenges to the security of electricity supplies in Ireland with the support of EirGrid and a number of consumer protections have been announced. Specifically on the moratorium relating to disconnection, I ask people, please, not to get stressed out about this. There is a moratorium on disconnections for all domestic customers. Originally it was from mid-December to mid-January and the moratorium for vulnerable customers was originally from 1 November to 31 March.

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