Mattie McGrath Demands Law to Stop Utilities Charging Closed Businesses
Mattie McGrath criticised utility companies for continuing to charge closed businesses for gas and electricity during the pandemic and demanded emergency legislation to stop the charges. He said businesses closed by the virus are paying 'pass charges' they cannot afford and accused the regulator of being asleep at the wheel.
Charges on closed businesses
He described a wide range of businesses - from hairdressers to big hotels and local shops - still being billed by utility firms while closed. He gave an example of a constituent paying four thousand a month on gas and electricity simply "for that privilege of coming to his door."
Call for emergency legislation
He urged the inclusion of measures in emergency legislation to stop utility companies "robbing" people and to prevent firms charging for gas or electricity that is not being used. He argued the regulator has failed to act and that statutory intervention is required to protect vulnerable businesses.
Government supports and engagement
He acknowledged that government has provided extensive rates relief and unprecedented supports for businesses during the pandemic. Despite that, he insisted utility companies must stop charging for unused energy and said he would engage with those companies unless the minister does so.
Impact on businesses
He warned many businesses are effectively broke and are paying charges they cannot earn while complying with closures caused by the virus. He said these firms deserve respect from the companies they deal with and stressed the urgent need to prevent further financial harm.
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The responses have been illogical and have been inconsistent and I've raised this with you here at the start of the pandemic where utility companies, they call them pass charges, they're charging businesses and every business from the hairdresser right through to the big hotels to the shops that are closed to every business that's not as interested as closed are paying a fortune on these charges to utility companies when they're closed. So they're being paid, I've one who wrote to me here is paying four thousand a month on gas and electricity just for that privilege of coming to his door. Why don't you pass legislation here included in the emergency measures that stops these companies robbing these people? They can't pay the money when they're closed. They're doing that. Shops closed, you'll see the post, they're obeying their advice and there's numerous businesses from hotels right down along the way, shops, you know, every kind of business that's closed whether they be one employee or multiple employees or hundreds of employees. They're paying these charges. So big businesses raping this country for years now and getting away with them. We can't pass legislation. We have a regulator who's asleep at the wheel. So we have to have legislation to stop this happening. These businesses will be broke. They're broke as it is, but paying this money that they can't earn. And they've been closed by government. So they should be allowed to have respect from these companies who they deal with in good faith at all times. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. They're being closed by the virus. Not the government in that sense. That's a very important point to make. But I also would say that government is providing unprecedented resources to all businesses across the board. Utility companies shouldn't be charging. Would you just let me speak? Utility companies shouldn't be charging for gas that they're not using or they shouldn't be charging for electricity that people are not using. And the utility companies, and I will engage with them in that respect unless the minister will engage with them. People should be charged for that which they are using. We've provided rates relief, the government have, which is very extensive and quite significant in terms of the amounts of money involved in providing rates relief to all of the businesses involved that you reference. And we've also provided supports to EWIS, Chris, and the pandemic on a primary subsidy.
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