Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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262. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of communications he or his Department have had with the European Commission with respect to the rate of VAT applied to fuels and household energy bills since 1 November 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15956/22]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware officials in my Department and their colleagues in Brussels are in frequent contact with the European Commission across a wide range of issues. Discussions may include direct bilateral contact as well as engagement at Working Parties, High Level Working Parties and at Coreper. In addition, as Minister for Finance and President of the Eurogroup I engage directly with the Commission, particularly in preparation for Eurogroup and ECOFIN meetings. The cost of living, particularly the impact of the current energy crisis, is discussed frequently, including measures to alleviate the costs faced by consumers across Europe.

In relation to written correspondence, following conversations between my officials and their counterparts in the Commission I wrote to Commissioner Gentiloni on 10 March 2022 regarding the need for Member States to have even greater flexibility when responding the energy crisis, particularly in relation to the VAT and Excise Directives.