Energy Prices
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-15
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Louise O'Reilly (SF), Dublin Fingal West

Any changes, temporary or otherwise, might be welcome, but the withdrawal of energy credits is causing real and genuine hardship for people. I see it in my clinics. I am sure the Minister does as well. He mentioned the energy affordability task force, but that is only a continuation of the other task force. It is a little bit "Father Ted" - is there anything to be said for another mass - that there is another task force or group. In truth, the number of people who are in energy poverty and in arrears with their energy bills is going up. It is going up simply because the supports that are there are not keeping pace.
We know that the energy credits made a real and material difference in people's lives and to the number of people who were in arrears. The withdrawal of those credits has pushed people into arrears. These are bills they will have to pay at some point. While those who are not on prepay meters might not be disconnected, they will still have to find the money to pay for those. It is very clear that the increased supports that were given are not adequate. They do not keep pace with inflation and they certainly do not keep pace with the rising cost of energy.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-15