Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It would be very easy to try to put the reply in a simplistic manner of "Yes" or "No". The Senator has been around politics in this House and beyond far too long not to know this is an extremely complex matter that involves a number of strategies. It is important to put to the House the fact that the Department has a keen interest in energy prices, not only for businesses and the implications for their competitiveness but also for individual users. The Department engages with the CRU frequently. The CRU has not indicated that the original proposals related specifically to extra large energy users, following input from stakeholders, although the system operators will continue to engage these and other industrial users to develop suitable energy demands seeing as that promotes security of supply. I stand over the submission that was made by the previous Minister. It was right. However, it is important to note that the submission was not just on one individual point. The work of the CRU should continue in that independent manner, and the Department will continue to engage it. I would be more than happy to speak with the Senator in more detail in order to work through this mater as we go along.