Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We all share this view and objective. The Minister has met with the companies and suppliers, with MABS, with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and with other non-governmental organisations that are at the coalface in respect of challenges that certain families or people may experience, particularly during a winter like this. The Government has taken a number of measures. We are not standing by or waiting. By any fair measure, the budget announcements are significant to ensure people have the wherewithal to avoid disconnection and, in particular, to meet the significant increase in electricity costs. This is apart from the measures taken earlier in the year.

The €600 energy credit is a significant intervention. There will be three payments of €200 in the billing periods of November-December 2022, January-February 2023 and March-April 2023. We go further then, with more than €2.5 billion provided in the budget to support households. There is a €400 lump sum payment for fuel allowance recipients. There is a €200 lump sum payment for pensioners. There is a €500 cost-of-living lump sum payment for all families getting the working family payment. There is a double payment of child benefit to support all families with children. A €500 cost-of living payment for people receiving the carer's support grant will be paid in November. The €500 cost-of-living disability support grant will be paid to all people receiving a long-term disability payment. These are substantial interventions. They are far stronger than what Sinn Féin proposed in its alternative budget. We will leave that to one side. I will not go through the list. Its alternative budget was quite poor in respect of the fuel allowance and pensioners. That is the bottom line. It had major gaps.

The winter moratorium on disconnections of all domestic customers for non-payment has been extended to three months, as I said yesterday, from 1 December to 28 February. In respect of pay-as-you-go meters, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has decided to suspend the €200 gas meter exchange siteworks charge associated with a customer moving from a pay-as-you-go gas meter to a bill-pay credit meter for all domestic customers. This is welcome. The level of emergency credit for prepaid meters was increased. The CRU is examining this further.

In the Minister's engagement with quite a number of NGOs, they warned against increasing the overdraft because it would increase debt for families. It is called a credit but in essence it is an overdraft. We would prefer for this not to happen and to seek more effective ways to support people who could end up in difficulty or may have challenges with pay-as-you-go. The Minister will continue to engage with a number of stakeholders to make sure no one is disconnected. Following his discussions with the companies and with the CRU, we do not believe disconnections will happen. There are people who could be in difficulty and we are looking at what is the best mechanism to prevent anyone from being disconnected, as opposed to just increasing the credit and the overdraft, which could lead to further debt for families who do not need to get into further debt.

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