Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan has said that urgent action is needed to help families and businesses as the value of electricity arrears rose to the highest level on record.
Speaking after the latest Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) figures were published, the Dublin MEP said:
“Every time that arrears data is released, we see the real consequences of this government’s ‘do-nothing’ approach to tackling rising energy costs.
“There are now 298,000 people in arrears, compared to 286,000 in the last quarter.
“The amount, or value, of the arrears that people were in also rose, now sitting 6% higher than it was at this time last year.
“These are the highest figures for a single quarter since the records began – this is utterly shocking.
“Every one of those numbers represents a family or small business in real distress, who are now watching with dread as we move into the colder part of the year.
“To make matters worse, Bord Gáis has announced a price increase for its customers, with other providers expected to follow suit.
“With all of this in mind, it’s unbelievable that, not only do the government look set to not include energy credits or other measures to help people with these costs, but the CRU is proposing to make households pay more for electricity, and to lower costs for big businesses like data centres.
“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should have the backs of families and local businesses struggling to pay their bills, instead of helping big corporations to pay even less than they already do.”
