Energy Prices
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-16
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Jennifer Whitmore (SD), Wicklow

We are all aware that hundreds of thousands of households are finding it difficult to pay their energy bills and what we saw last week is a direct result of that. An estimated 315,000 people are in arrears on their electricity bills. Many of them have been in arrears for more than 19 months. These are people who are still not able to catch up with the incredible price shocks we experienced after the Ukraine invasion.
One of the roles of the CRU is to protect customers. The Minister has asked the CRU to look at the pass through of wholesale prices. Right now, wholesale prices are 72% cheaper than they were at the peak in August 2022. They are 72% cheaper, but our retail prices are not 72% lower. In fact, they are higher. We have not seen any reduction, and I do not think hedging can be used as an excuse. Will the Minister of State provide an update on what the CRU has done and when it will it be publishing its report?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-16