Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has called on the government to adopt Sinn Féin’s 5-point plan designed to tackle Ireland’s run-away electricity costs. The party proposes to introduce measures that will overhaul the electricity markets regulatory regime. It would work to make electricity more affordable by breaking the link between wholesale gas and electricity prices. Increase funding, and reform of the government’s regressive retrofitting and solar PV scheme, to target those who need it most. Sinn Féin would establish a taskforce to investigate the reasons for Ireland’s exorbitant energy prices. It would replace punitive measures with supply side investment, by ensuring that there are no further increases to the carbon tax, and replacing it with by taxing excessive consumption and wealth.
Brady said:
“Government inaction and incompetence is at the heart of Ireland’s rip-off electricity costs.
They have completely failed to get to grips with the chaos in Ireland’s energy markets.
Ireland’s electricity costs far outstrip the European average, with Irish households paying a staggering €700 more.
Customer arrears levels are skyrocketing. Energy poverty is through the roof. For this government, the affordability of energy is anything but a priority.
The government’s ‘once-off’, sticking plaster measures are not good enough. We need a seismic shift towards real, sustainable change for good.
People need a government that will take decisive and permanent action in order to reduce bills and ease the burden of the ongoing cost of living crisis for ordinary workers and families.
This week Sinn Féin have put forward our five-point plan to take control and bring the much-needed relief for ordinary workers, houses, and businesses.
The corporate balance sheet has been a priority for far too long. It is time for this to change.
The challenges faced by households up and down the country, and across our own county of Wicklow underscore the need for urgent reform of the energy system.
The government parties have been asleep at the wheel for far too long. Sinn Féin’s proposals offer an alternative path forward through market restructuring and standing up to big business.
We also need a fairer retrofitting plan that translates scarce resources where they are most needed.
We must also ensure our natural resources are translated into national wealth for all via enhanced domestic and public ownership.
With these proposals, we can take decisive action to alleviate the financial strain on households and ensure a more equitable and sustainable energy future for all. This is the type of change that a Sinn Féin government would deliver.