Vol. 1082 No. 4
I move:
Bill entitled an Act to amend the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to give the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) the legislative remit required to effectively monitor and regulate standing charges on electricity and gas bills, and to provide for related matters.
Ba mhaith liom mo chomrádaithe, na Teachtaí Daly, O’Rourke agus O’Hara, a mholadh as ucht an Bhille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. We have two Bills which are both very important and will explicitly tackle Ireland's energy rip-off and price-gouging once and for all. They are the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Standing Charges) Bill 2026. We in Sinn Féin have been calling on the Government to tackle price-gouging and empower the regulator to deal with this as long as I have been elected. We have more than 320,000 households in energy arrears, as well as some of the highest electricity bills in Europe, when we used to have some of the lowest.
This Bill shows there is a political choice for Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and their Independents. They could take substantial choices to tackle that issue if they wished, instead of washing their hands of the situation and leaving vulnerable people at the mercy of a very volatile market. They could, for example, empower the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, to prioritise the affordability of credit in its decision-making, as the Bill sets out. This is critical as things are only getting worse. It is a damning indictment of this Government that it is allowing an increase in the number of data centres, which are increasing demand on the grid, while doing nothing to protect the most vulnerable, who are at breaking point. The regulation and restructuring of standing charges and the PSO levy as expressed in our Bills will ensure that data centres pay their fair share and that households will not foot the bill.
I am very happy to co-sponsor the introduction of these two vital Bills. As families and small businesses struggle with the relentless cost-of-living crisis the Government continues to act as a mere commentator while energy companies line their pockets. The standing charges Bill addresses the enduring scandal of unregulated standing charges. It is unacceptable that energy companies have free rein to hike these charges by hundreds of euro without any oversight. That is hundreds of euro a year before a single light is switched on. That is a massive cost baked into every family’s budget. Our Bill would require companies to justify these charges to the CRU and they would have to prove any increase related to their fixed costs rather than their profit margin. The Bill gives the energy regulator – the CRU – teeth it so desperately needs to hold energy companies to account.
I am also pleased to co-sponsor these Bills, which are important legislation to end Ireland's energy rip-off. There are 320,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills, which is an enormous jump of 20,000 households in just a month. At the same time, Government has failed and refused to empower the regulator to tackle price-gouging and hold companies accountable for skyrocketing bills.
The two Bills being introduced are critical to addressing this and ensuring that the CRU can protect consumers. This is very important legislation, especially because it comes at a time households are being hammered by the cost of living. People in my constituency are reporting huge increases in the cost of home heating oil, a doubling in the cost in many cases, with the price going from under €500 to over €800 for 500 litres of oil, as well as increases in the cost of petrol and diesel. This is another example of companies price-gouging. There is absolutely no doubt about that whatsoever. We have not seen any response from Government other than saying there is price-gouging and they might refer it to the CCPC. On top of that, the Government is going to proceed with carbon tax increases in the next number of weeks, which will add more to household bills. The Government is completely out of touch with the reality of the cost-of-living crisis across the State. It needs to take action, it needs to hold companies accountable, it needs to scrap the carbon tax increases and it must introduce a cost-of-living package without delay.
Is the Bill being opposed?
No.
Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time.
I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."
