Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA
Customers can expect to get an additional electricity credit before Christmas, Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has said.
In April, a €200 electricity credit was applied to each household as part of measures announced by the Government to help people grapple with the rising cost of living.
Speaking to reporters after the conclusion of Cabinet on Wednesday, Mr Ryan said that there would be another such support before the end of the year.
“We held back. A lot of people were arguing we should have done a mini budget in the summer and we said at the time ‘no’, because the time this is going to hit is the late autumn/ early next year.
“So I think it was absolutely right for us to hold our fire, to wait to see what the real situation was in the autumn, and that’s when we need to provide supports. That’s the right time to do it.”
When asked whether people could expect to get an “electricity payment” before Christmas, Mr Ryan replied “yes”.
The Green Party leader said that a memo he brought to Cabinet on Wednesday on energy reduction is the first of a series of memos on energy expected over the winter months.
“We’ll start with the public sector, what are we doing ourselves? Lead by example, cutting our energy,” he said.
Reform of the European energy market and supports for people in Budget 2023 will also form part of the government response to the energy crisis, he said.
Mr Ryan also added that “we will intervene to give supports for businesses directly” to help with soaring energy bills which he said could see people’s bills double.
The Department of Enterprise is currently working on such proposals, he added.
