Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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159. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the engagement he has had with energy companies in advance of winter 2023 in order to protect vulnerable persons from high energy costs. [25020/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that those most vulnerable are protected from the impact of high energy costs. Supplier companies are required to maintain a register of vulnerable customers, who cannot be disconnected for non-payment. There are a range of additional protection measures in place for registered vulnerable customers, including measures around communication and other important areas. Suppliers are obliged to provide customers with a free and easy way to register as a vulnerable customer, and must take reasonable steps to identify customers eligible for registration.

Supplier obligations towards vulnerable customers fall under the regulation of the retail gas and electricity markets, which was assigned to the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) by the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and subsequent legislation. CRU is directly accountable to the Oireachtas, and has a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members to contact them at: oireachtas@cru.ie. More information about supplier obligations and consumer rights can be found in the Electricity and Gas Suppliers' Handbook 2023, and on the CRU website: www.cru.ie/consumer-information/your-rights/vulnerable-customers/.

As Minister, I meet with a range of stakeholders, including supplier companies, on how best to ensure vulnerable people can stay warm and well during the winter months. Officials from my Department also regularly engage with suppliers on how best to protect vulnerable customers and those in arrears, and to discuss actions being taken by suppliers, such as the provision of supplier hardship funds.

The Government will engage with relevant stakeholders in the coming months to further the implementation of the Energy Poverty Action Plan, and to examine additional support measures in the context of Budget 2024.