Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is an awful lot the Minister can do to bring down household electricity prices. The additional costs on household bills make up around 50% of the final electricity price to consumers. The programme for Government omitted any mention of network charges. It gave a vague commitment to explore funding models for the PSO to reduce bills. Is the Minister going to do that? He can tackle the regressive PSO levy on network charges now because network charges could be four times what they are now following the conclusion of price review 6. This burden could and should be distributed fairly, rather than ordinary householders being forced to bear the brunt. Grid upgrade and repair could also be financed through Exchequer funding rather than levying it on top of household bills. We also need to look at the role of the regulator, which needs to be strengthened. Is the Minister going to make these charges? Will he distribute network charges and the PSO levy to reduce the energy burden on households, if he is not going to introduce the other measures?

See this speech in context