Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 June 2013
272. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Meath that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28750/13]
View answer273. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Cavan that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28751/13]
View answer274. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide in tabular form the number of households in County Monaghan that have had electricity and or gas disconnected in the year 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28752/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 272 to 274, inclusive, together.
Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including disconnections, is a matter for the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), which is an independent statutory regulator. I have no statutory function in the matter of disconnections of electricity or gas customers regardless of the supply company involved.
The CER provides quarterly and annual updates on the electricity and gas retail markets, including on disconnections on a national level, and further information may be found at: http://www.cer.ie/en/electricity-retail-market-reports-and-publications.aspx?article=b0ba4820-3227-499f-9879-16de76bdd5b0.
Nevertheless, the number of disconnections is a matter of great concern to me as it is for the Government, the CER, voluntary organisations and suppliers. The rise in disconnections in recent years has coincided with the economic recession, which has caused customer arrears and debt levels to rise.
In line with the CER’s Code of Practice on disconnection, electricity and gas suppliers must facilitate payment options or plans for domestic customers experiencing genuine hardship and, where appropriate, engage with a money advisor acting on behalf of the customer or a recognised charity. This must include offering the customer a Pay As You Go Meter. According to CER’s published Electricity and Gas Retail Markets Report 2012, 14,713 Pay As You Go electricity meters were installed in 2012. That report also states that there are approximately 18,000 token meters in operation. In the gas market, 12,730 Pay As You Go gas meters were installed in 2012, bringing the total to over 66,000 meters in place, including the old style keypad (prepayment meters). In addition, disconnections may not be initiated where a customer has entered into a payment plan with the supplier and is honouring that arrangement.
I would strongly encourage any electricity and gas consumers who are in financial difficulty to engage with their suppliers and accept a Pay As You Go meter thus ending the possibility of being disconnected and not incurring further debts. I welcome the fact that CER is working with energy suppliers to ensure that they take all reasonable steps to assist customers through this difficult period and that disconnections resulting from genuine inability to pay are minimised, and only occur as a very last resort.
Implementation of the measures set out in the Government’s Affordable Energy Strategy, published last November, is pivotal to protecting the interests of vulnerable customers and improving energy affordability.
In addition, the Government will continue to support the delivery of energy efficiency measures to vulnerable households in 2013. The Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme has been allocated Exchequer funding of €18 million for 2013, which is expected to result in upgrades in over 10,000 homes.
