TD slams commission’s failure to protect pre pay customers from hike in standing charges
People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith has attacked the failure of the state’s Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) to protect people from rising energy costs.
Appearing at a Dáil committee the CRU revealed that hikes in energy prices for pre pay customers through standing charge increases were not sanctioned by them and companies were free to do so. The current €1.50 standing charge per day means customers face a €10 weekly charge before they even start using energy. The charge was increased recently by 30 cents from €1.20
The TD said the lack of oversight by the CRU was “flabbergasting”.
The TD also pointed out to CRU representatives that the four energy generators and the 14 or so suppliers were all recording profits in recent years, and in many cases huge leaps in their profitability, just as customers face hikes in costs.
The TD said it was not good enough to blame global gas prices when 70% of the costs here were from causes within our control.
She added: “The reality is that the faith of the CRU in the market is badly misplaced and its now clear that a policy of deregulation and privatisation of our energy supply and generation has been a huge and costly mistake which will also make taking the steps needed on climate much harder.”
