Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The reality is seen when we look at this in the round. Bill pay customers have that three-month period in which there cannot be a disconnection for non-payment. For vulnerable customers, that has been increased to six months. I have outlined a whole series of interventions that have been made to assist pay-as-you-go customers. We acknowledge they are in a different and more vulnerable situation because, in the absence of anything else happening, if their credit is gone, then the power, in essence, will stop. There should be no reason to do with financial hardship that anyone loses power supply this winter. We have to look at this in the round, including all the interventions we are making and all the cash supports that are being made available to the most vulnerable all over Ireland, in addition to the strengthening of protections being introduced as a result of the work the regulator is doing. The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, continues to engage with the regulator. We certainly do not want to see any vulnerable household lose its electricity supply this winter. We do not believe that should happen and we believe sufficient supports have been put in place to prevent it from occurring.

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