The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) is Ireland’s independent energy regulator. The CER was initially established as the Commission for Electricity Regulation under the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999. Under the Gas (Interim) (Regulation) Act, 2002, CER's remit was expanded to include the regulation of the natural gas sector and its name was changed to the Commission for Energy Regulation. It has a wide range of economic, customer protection and safety responsibilities in the energy sector. The CER is financed by means of a levy on industry and is not a cost on the Exchequer.
Members of the CER, also known as Commissioners, are appointed by the Minister pursuant to Schedule 1 of the 1999 Act, as amended, and the names of current and past CER Commissioners are provided in successive published annual reports. The current Commissioners are Mr. Garrett Blaney, Mr. Paul McGowan and Ms. Aoife MacEvilly who have, to date, held office for approximately five years, two years, and nine months, respectively. There have been four other Commissioners since the establishment of the CER, namely Mr. Tom Reeves, Mr. Michael Tutty, Ms. Regina Finn and Mr. Dermot Nolan, who held office for approximately ten years, seven years, one year, and six years, respectively. The appointment of other staff members, including directors, is an operational matter for the CER.
The authority structure, operation and functions of the CER are set out in the Electricity Regulation Act, 1999, as amended. Pursuant to Section 25 of Schedule 1 of the Act, as amended, the CER is obliged to present an annual report and accounts to the Minister. These reports and accounts, including information on costs, are publicly available on the CER website. Pursuant to Section 26 of Schedule 1, the CER is accountable to a Joint Committee of the Oireachtas for the performance of its functions.
