Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Timmy Dooley (FF), Clare

I move amendment No. 1:
In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:
“Amendment of section 9D of Principal Act
4. Section 9D of the Principal Act is amended—
(a) in subsection (2)(c), by the insertion of “, notwithstanding subsection (10)(b),” after “and”, and
(b) in subsection (10)(b), by the substitution of “Subject to subsection (2)(b), all” for “All”.”.
These amendments enable the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to provide funding to enable the continued operation of the safe electric scheme and the registered gas installer scheme in the interest of safety for electricity and gas operators and the public. These statutory schemes were established by the CRU in 2009 to regulate the activities respectively of gas installers and electrical contractors with respect to safety under the energy Act 2006. In 2022, the CRU appointed an operator for both schemes following a competitive tender process. Schemes are funded through annual membership fees and certain charges paid by members. In recent years, the CRU has attempted to limit fee increases to reflect a difficult trading environment and cost-of-living pressures. However, the current contract requires scheme operators to recover a certain amount of revenue to support its operations.
Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 remove the restrictions in the principal Act which prevent the CRU from providing funds directly. This will ensure that the schemes, which serve vital safety functions in the public interest, can continue to operate in the case of unexpected cost increases or decreased revenues due to declining membership. Amendment No. 7 is a technical amendment reflecting this purpose in the Bill's Long Title. I assure the House these changes will not result in any additional charges on the Exchequer. The Electricity Regulation Act 1999 enables the statutory functions of the CRU to be funded through a levy to be paid each year by the industry.

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Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27