Danny Healy-Rae Blasts Energy Regulator and Gas Policy
Danny Healy-Rae spoke about the energy crisis, arguing electricity costs have risen since Borna Mourna was closed in 2020 and criticising the energy regulator's response. He said rising household and business energy prices are causing hardship, opposed the carbon tax, and called for gas storage in the Kinsale field and faster delivery of energy grants.
He said electricity costs have risen "day by day" since Borna Mourna closed in 2020, citing recent supplier increases of 10%, 12% and 13% and one company reducing prices by 4%. He challenged the minister on whether the government and the energy regulator know what is happening and urged the regulator be brought to task for failing to act.
He warned that many new social houses are built without chimneys, leaving residents entirely reliant on electricity and unable to meet bills. He said many thousands are behind on their ESB bits and criticised banks that, he said, stop homeowners installing chimneys to meet energy ratings.
He recounted that elderly applicants have been told by the SAI to wait at least two years for home upgrade grants, a delay he said is effectively a lifetime for people in their late 70s or early 80s. He described the waits as unfair and a source of worry for older households.
He warned that small businesses are closing because they cannot bear soaring energy costs. He argued the State is buying gas only when required at whatever the price is, and urged the minister to consider storing gas in the Kinsale gas field so the State can buy cheaply and shield consumers.
He reiterated his long-standing opposition to the carbon tax and said the money collected is meant to fund home heating supports but is not reaching people quickly enough. He said slow delivery of funds and grants is contributing to hardship for families, pensioners and those struggling to keep homes warm.
Energy prices and regulator
He said electricity costs have risen "day by day" since Borna Mourna closed in 2020, citing recent supplier increases of 10%, 12% and 13% and one company reducing prices by 4%. He challenged the minister on whether the government and the energy regulator know what is happening and urged the regulator be brought to task for failing to act.
Social housing and heating
He warned that many new social houses are built without chimneys, leaving residents entirely reliant on electricity and unable to meet bills. He said many thousands are behind on their ESB bits and criticised banks that, he said, stop homeowners installing chimneys to meet energy ratings.
Delays to grants for elderly
He recounted that elderly applicants have been told by the SAI to wait at least two years for home upgrade grants, a delay he said is effectively a lifetime for people in their late 70s or early 80s. He described the waits as unfair and a source of worry for older households.
Small businesses and gas storage
He warned that small businesses are closing because they cannot bear soaring energy costs. He argued the State is buying gas only when required at whatever the price is, and urged the minister to consider storing gas in the Kinsale gas field so the State can buy cheaply and shield consumers.
Carbon tax and fund delivery
He reiterated his long-standing opposition to the carbon tax and said the money collected is meant to fund home heating supports but is not reaching people quickly enough. He said slow delivery of funds and grants is contributing to hardship for families, pensioners and those struggling to keep homes warm.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy Demands Government Clarify Gaza Position
Joe O'Reilly
Joe O'Reilly urges action plan to expand collective bargaining
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue: Condemns ESB's €3.8m Charge on Solar Farm
Gerard P. Craughwell
Gerard P. Craughwell on Tricolour, SAR Pay and 2013 Pension
Richard O'Donoghue
Richard O'Donoghue presses Minister on Garda numbers in Limerick
Martin Daly
Martin Daly demands action on children's neuro-rehab gaps
Transcript
Thank you very much. I am glad to get the opportunity here. I want to thank Sinn Féin for giving us that opportunity to talk about the energy crisis and I suppose what I have to say, I said it several times before, since Borna Mourna was closed down by the last government in 2020, the cost of electricity has gone up day by day. That is a fact, Minister. And we see there in the last week or two where different energy companies are raising their prices by 10%, 12%, 13% and then we hear that one company brought it down by 4%. No one knows what's going on, Minister. And I ask him, do the government know what's going on? Because we were supposed to have a regulator, an energy regulator, but there is no account in the world of the Minister. And I am asking you to bring that fellow to task and whatever team he has because they are not playing their part. And this thing where social houses that are built now don't have any chimney means that people are totally reliant on electricity. And many of those people, Minister, are not able to pay their way. And many thousands of people are behind in the payment of their ESB bits. And I am asking you to look into this and to ask the energy regulator to do something about it. This, also where individual people build their own houses, it's the banks are stopping them of putting in a chimney, are having solid fuel heat in their homes because they want this energy rating brought down to the bare minimum and to have no chimney. Chimneys always brought, left the bad air in and caused the new good air to come in. And it's doing different things and hurting the people in in many ways. And it's ridiculous. And when we hear that the elderly people being told, like they have been told this week by the SAI, when they go for this energy grant and to upgrade their homes, that they have left to wait at least two years. Can you imagine, Minister, what two years is to someone in their late 70s or in their early 80s? That's like being told that it will never happen in their lifetime. Because they worry more so when they're at that age. And it's not fair. And when he said that he's collecting money and taxes from the carbon tax, which I totally opposed in the last two governments since I came up here first day and still oppose it, he is saying that they're putting that money into the SAI and for heating homes. I say it is not reaching the people at all. It's taking too long to come to them. And it's not fair to have them waiting two or two and a half years. How much time have I got? You've gone over your three minutes. I want to stop to four minutes left. What I have to say to you is that small businesses are closing day by day and the energy costs is the main reason why they're closing down and they can't bear the burden of the cost anymore because they're totally reliant on electricity and gas. And then we hear that Ireland can't purchase gas on the open market because we don't win its cheapest. And listen to this minister because it's very important. We should be able to store any amount of natural gas in the Kinsale gas field and it's not being utilized or used at all. But we're being told we have to purchase it when we need it, whatever the prices. That's not right, minister. And I'm asking you to look at that to see can we store gas when we can buy it cheaply and not the way we're operating at the minute having to buy it when we need it, regardless of the price. Because that's ultimately to the customer will have to pay for all. All people are struggling to keep their homes warm and families with children, they have to be kept warm and people are fearful with the cost of electricity at the present time. And every man and woman that's in the road is suffering with the cost of fuel because of the carbon tax.