Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last night, Sinn Féin brought a motion before the Dáil calling on the Government to ensure that households are protected from electricity and gas disconnection this winter. Our motion proposes a ban on disconnections now instead of waiting until December as the Government's plan suggests. It would provide desperately needed protection and certainty for the hundreds of thousands of households using pre-paid meters. The Government has stated it will not oppose the motion and this is to be welcomed.

Those struggling to pay their energy bills need urgent action now to implement these measures without delay. It is nearly three weeks since the Taoiseach stated nobody would be disconnected this winter, including households using pre-paid meters. As the Taoiseach knows, I welcomed it at the time. Since then, I and others have asked the Taoiseach repeatedly for his plan to deliver on this commitment but he has not provided an answer. Instead, we hear that the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is to publish a plan in the coming weeks. Those struggling to pay their electricity bills do not have the luxury of weeks. They are in trouble now.

As we speak, more than 200,000 households are in electricity arrears. The fear of disconnection is very real and very present for them. This will only get worse as people scramble to keep up with the soaring cost of living. The October bills are arriving now. They are landing like a body blow. I spoke to a woman last night who told me that the heart was put crossways in her when she saw her bill. She said she felt winded. That is how she described it.

People work hard all day but are afraid to turn on the lights when they come home. Parents worry that they will be disconnected and that their children will not have light to do their homework. Many families using prepaid meters are forced to have dark days and to ration their electricity. This is where it is at for so many people. Asking these households to wait on the never-never for the Government's plan is not good enough. They need the Government to act now to ensure every single household is protected from disconnection. This has to include those using pre-paid meters.

I have said before to the Taoiseach but let me repeat that there is a simple solution to what is a big problem. Some pre-paid companies already have disconnection bans in place at weekends and some public holidays. This ban should be extended to provide these households with 24-7 protection until the end of March. The Taoiseach needs to grasp this solution. Do not leave people waiting and waiting with unimaginable stress. Ní mór teaghlaigh a chosaint ó dhícheangal fuinnimh an geimhreadh seo. Caithfidh an Rialtas cosc ar dhícheangal a thabhairt isteach anois agus cinntiú go n-áirítear iad siúd a úsáideann méadair íoc-mar-a-úsáidtear.

I want the Taoiseach to follow up on the decision not to oppose our motion and to deliver for these households. This means a ban on disconnections starting immediately. It means including those on pre-pay meters now and providing them with an absolute assurance that they will not be disconnected. Yesterday, I said sincerely to the Taoiseach that we will work with the Government to get the eviction ban in place as quickly as possible. We need the same urgency and willingness to work together to ensure no household is disconnected this winter.

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