Sinn Féin calls on Government to cut energy costs immediately by capping prices

An elderly man who was recently released from hospital and now has to use an oxygen supply at home has received an electricity bill for €1,700, a Sinn Féin TD has told the Dáil.

Roscommon-Galway TD Claire Kerrane said the man cannot afford “that level of bills going forward” and is “one of many”.

Ms Kerrane was speaking as her party put forward a motion on Tuesday night calling on the Government to cut energy costs immediately by capping prices.

“I’ve been recently contacted by an elderly gentleman in my own constituency and since coming home from hospital recently, he now has to use an oxygen supply at home,” Ms Kerrane said.

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“This is obviously increasing his energy bills considerably. His electricity bill recently arrived, it was for €1,248.

“He then received a revised bill, after his meter was read, of €1,700. He cannot afford this bill and he knows that he will not be able to afford that level of bills going forward and he is of course one of many.

“The question really is how are these people supposed to afford these bills month in, month out?”

Her party colleague, Pearse Doherty, said energy bills coming through the doors have caused “shock and worry” for people.

Mr Doherty said a woman on a “modest income” had been in touch after receiving an electricity bill for €622.

“She said she can’t cope anymore,” the Sinn Féin deputy leader said.

“She has cut her energy use as much as she can. She said she’s sitting in the dark for most of the day just to keep the lights off to use her own words…She said she’s barely keeping her head above water.”

The Donegal TD added that electricity prices had doubled over the last two years and the Government made a decision last month “not to provide any meaningful support to households with their energy bills until October at the earliest”.

“That was wrong and the consequences of that will be dire,” he said. “But they will be suffered not by Government benches, but by people who are struggling to pay the bills and keep the lights on.”

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan said there are “no easy solutions” and that some of the “simplistic analysis” was not true.

Mr Ryan said legislation establishing a windfall tax on energy companies would be introduced in the coming weeks, adding “we’re not through this crisis yet, we don’t know which way the war is going to go”.

“The gas prices have come down from their incredible highs of less than a year ago,” he said.

“These are still some two-and-a-half times the historical average of the previous five years so this is not over. We have to continue learning, by doing and assessing where it needs to go next and included in that is reform of the European energy markets.”

The Green Party leader said the Government had introduced extra supports during last year’s budget and an additional packet worth €1.2 billion to help households last month.

“I believe that in terms of putting the money directly to those households, particularly most affected through the social welfare payments, and giving every household credit cash supports, was the right approach rather than some notional market cap that would be uncertain in terms of what the cost would be to the Irish public and the benefits to customers,” Mr Ryan said.