Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a very important question. I came across a few cases in which people who were on prepay systems found it hard to get the household energy credit from the relevant provider. I saw a reply to a parliamentary question from the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, in which he said that if people did not get their energy credit, they should go to the Department for an additional needs payment. Some of the people I know who had not been credited did not want to go to the Department seeking the additional needs payment. It may be an issue the Minister's Department should check with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to check whether some of these companies are not implementing the scheme properly and then telling people to go to their local community welfare officer. That is not the spirit of the household energy support. It was supposed to be for everybody, regardless of their means.

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