Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Even with the budget announcement, there is a guarantee for many customers that from December right through to February, no matter how difficult they find it to pay their bills, their electricity will not be turned off. The lights will stay on for those customers. Then there are those 346,000 customers who do not have that commitment. That is the issue we are dealing with here. It is an issue of fairness, equality and making sure all customers are treated the same. The Tánaiste spoke about a €20 energy credit. The reality is that €20 is not going to stretch far. Yes, the companies cannot disconnect people at the weekend or at certain hours during the day but when Monday comes around, the lights will be off and people will have no electricity and no way of turning on the TV, the lights or many other basic functions. That is the problem here. Does the Tánaiste agree with the principle that disconnections should be banned for prepay meters right through the winter? The Taoiseach gave that commitment. Does the Tánaiste stand over that commitment and is that the policy objective he wants to see with the energy companies?

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