Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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180. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of gas and electricity disconnections in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35125/23]

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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181. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of gas and electricity disconnections per local authority in 2022, in Q1 2023 and in Q2 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35126/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together.

The Commission for the Regulation of Utilities maintains figures for disconnections and not the Department. The most recently published figures detail the period of 2022 to July and it is expected that the CRU will provide an update to these figures in the coming months. I have provided these figures below which are publicly available here: CRU2022973-CRU-Arrears-and-NPA-disconnection-update-H1-2022.pdf (divio-media.com)

Responsibility for the regulation of the retail electricity and gas markets is a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities which is an independent Regulator, accountable to a committee of the Oireachtas and not the Minister. The CRU was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas sectors following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999 and subsequent legislation. The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial and liberalised. Operating within this overall EU framework, responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, is solely a matter for the CRU. It is a function of the CRU to monitor the markets, including the number of disconnections. Recent precedents include 20724/23 and 15559/23 where the Minister had no function and the matters raised were the responsibility of CRU. CRU provides a dedicated email address for Oireachtas members, which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters to CRU at oireachtas@cru.ie for timely direct reply.