Welcome for Bord Gais

I welcome the announcement by An Bord Gais that they are to enter the household electricity market.

I believe that this will make a difference to consumers in terms of lowering electricity bills, but it also shows up the fiasco with regard to electricity and gas prices, for which the Govt is responsible.

It is now weeks since the Taoiseach instructed the Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan to get his act together in relation to reducing energy prices. The Minister has promised a double-digit reduction, yet we are still waiting for a decision from the energy regulator.

At a time when businesses and householders are being crippled by some of the highest energy prices in Europe, we a have a Govt that seems incapable of getting a decision made that would protect jobs and ease the pressure on people living on low incomes.