Fine Gael social protection spokesman Michael Ring TD has warned that “the lights are going out across Ireland” as the ESB and Bord Gáis warn that 110,000 customers are on payment plans.
“We now know that 110,000 homes cannot pay their energy bills. This figure does not include the thousands of other homes who are only scraping by through making deep sacrifices elsewhere. John Mullins of Bord Gáis has warned that a significant number of struggling customers are mortgage holders. He even described this as a ‘social recession’. I would go further and call this a social crisis.
“Once again we see hard-working families dealing with the fall-out from the Government’s economic crash,” Deputy Ring added. “The ESB and Bord Gáis have done the right thing by publishing these shocking figures. It sheds some light on the human tragedy after 13 years of Fianna Fáil-led Government.”
Jim Higgins, Fine Gael MEP for Ireland North West also criticised the Government for not doing enough to help those who are in difficulty with basic such as light and heat.
“I have had cases of constituents coming to my clinics, unable to pay bills as low as 80 euro, and yet because they cannot pay straight away, they are forced to pay disconnection fees and reconnection fees, which in some case amounts to several hundred euro,” said Mr Higgins.
“We are not talking about a luxury item here. Electricity should be guaranteed as a basic right for all citizens by the state. I am not at all satisfied that disconnecting people struggling to pay bills is a proper means of collecting arrears." added Jim Higgins.
The new carbon tax introduced this year has increased the price of a bale of briquettes by 10 per cent, a kilowatt-hour of natural gas by seven per cent and a 1,000 litres of fuel oil by eight per cent.
“Whatever about the daft ideas the Green Party Energy Minister might have, with his levies and so forth, I wonder what the so-called Minister for Social Protection is doing on this? Who or what is he protecting, if he cannot insure a flexible attitude from the state owned electricity supplier?” concluded Jim Higgins.
