Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

52. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has taken steps to ensure that households that have pay-as-you-go gas and electricity meters which are debt-flagged will be able to switch to other suppliers and bill pay options; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58205/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Responsibility for the regulation of the retail electricity and gas markets was assigned to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) under the 1999 Electricity Regulation Act and subsequent legislation. It is a function of CRU to regulate the electricity and gas markets. As part of its statutory role, the CRU has responsibility for consumer protection and monitors energy retail markets to ensure that competition continues to develop for the benefit of the consumer. CRU is accountable to the Oireachtas and not to me as Minister. Furthermore, the CRU has a dedicated email address for members of the Oireachtas: oireachtas@cru.ie.

However, I understand that debt-flagged accounts can be switched to a new supplier and that customers with debt can switch from pay as you go meters (PAYG) to billpay. Furthermore, as part of the additional customer protection measures, the CRU introduced for this winter, there is a new requirement that suppliers must advise their PAYG customers in debt of other payment options available to them.