Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Among other matters, the shared island initiative looks at the all-Ireland energy market. North and South, people have been hammered by rising energy costs. It may be of interest to the Taoiseach to note that one of the two major gas suppliers in the North, Firmus Energy, has just reduced its prices for gas by between 18% and, in some cases, 22% because of the reduction in wholesale gas prices. Interestingly, SSE Airtricity, which operates North and South, is not doing so.

We have a fall in wholesale energy prices and one company can reduce prices dramatically – it will amount to a reduction of €300 to €400 per year – but other companies, presumably because of their profit imperatives, are deciding not to. Does this not show how the supposedly competitive market does not deliver for consumers and where what is needed, North and South, is intervention to control the prices that are being charged to customers and prevent the profiteering that is going on by energy companies on the island? The Firmus Energy example shows it is not necessary to have price gouging of customers, who are being crucified by the energy bills they are receiving.

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