Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 6:

In page 8, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following: “(3) Electricity suppliers shall remove any arrears limits placed on pre-pay meters until the Minister directs otherwise.”.

This amendment speaks to increasing protections for prepay customers who might be faced with arrears limits, which, in many instances, result in situations in which lower income, vulnerable households cannot heat their homes. As we face into the colder months of the year, that is not acceptable. Prepay meter customers are often the most vulnerable. The Government should be supporting them, not punishing them. With energy poverty at an all-time high and with Irish electricity prices being some of the highest in Europe, vulnerable customers should be protected.