Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of households in counties Longford and Westmeath which had electricity or gas disconnection in the past year due to non-payment. [44867/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Regulation of retail energy markets is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) since the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and subsequent legislation. However, officials from my Department correspond with CRU on an ongoing basis to track developments in retail and wholesale energy markets, including the effect of government supports on arrears levels, among other indicators.

While the number of households in relation to electricity and gas disconnections due to non-payment by county cannot be provided; an update on the latest figures of households of electricity and gas disconnections in relation to non-payment are available. The latest figures of domestic electricity disconnections due to non-payment was 161 in May 2025. This figure is down from the previous months figures of 181 disconnections. In terms of the latest figures for domestic gas disconnections due to non-payment, there was 155 disconnections for the same period, slightly up from the previous month which had 119 disconnections.

The Deputy may wish to engage directly with CRU in relation to the matters raised. CRU provides a dedicated email address, oireachtas@cru.ie, for Oireachtas members which enables them to raise questions on general energy regulatory matters.