Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

The justification for the current price increase, which will kick in on Friday, is the public service obligation and green energy. That is a good thing but there are other ways of dealing with this. It can be dealt with from profits, from efficiencies or by examining VAT rates or a combination of these. It should be put on hold in the emergency we are in. The energy price increase that is coming is not sustainable. I propose an amendment to the Order of Business that we have a specific discussion on the lunacy of the proposed electricity price increase, a debate on the lunacy of charging unfortunate people for disconnection from and reconnection to the electricity service and a debate on the entire energy sector this afternoon so we respond to the reality of people's lives in the shocking Ireland we are in.