Mulvihill Calls For Immediate Measures To Tackle Fuel Poverty In Cobh

“The Labour Party had a Motion in the Dáil last week seeking a range of measures to tackle fuel poverty. The government had promised action on fuel poverty but have not delivered.

Cllr John Mulvihill snr stated “It has been estimated that around 60,000 Irish households many from Cobh live in persistent fuel poverty and a further 160,000 or so experience intermittent fuel poverty.

“There is deep concern over the high levels of disconnections in both electricity and gas. I am calling on the government to live up to its promise on Fuel Poverty.  The alarming increase in disconnections of approximately 2,500 a month is a matter of grave concern.

“It is vital that there is a response to ensure that people have essential services such as electricity and gas in their homes.  Otherwise, there are serious implications for the health and safety of families.

Cllr Mulvihill continued “In their Programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and the Greens promised to publish a Fuel Poverty Strategy ‘as a matter of urgency’. Indeed there was a commitment made that it would published ‘by the end of 2009′.

“Needless to say, that deadline has come and gone without any sign of a strategy, and in the meantime; electricity prices have increased dramatically; disconnections have increased alarmingly; and millions of euro earmarked for the crucial insulation schemes in 2009 was handed back, unspent, to the Department of Finance.

In conclusion cllr Mulvihill stated “In addition, we now see where the Energy Regulator, CER is trying to force a rebranding on ESB and Bord Gais, an exercise that will cost Bord Gáis alone an estimated €40 million. Of course, it is the customers of these companies who will ultimately pay, at a time when they are already dealing with a 5 per cent Public Service Obligation (PSO) Levy being slapped on their energy bills. The Energy Regulator needs to see sense and to scrap this daft plan.”