31 March 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
File photo of Cork North Central Socialist Party TD Mick Barry
Deputy Mick Barry this morning said that Electric Ireland (the supply division of the ESB) should not be hiking prices when the ESB made profits of €679m last year.
He called on the Government to intervene to stop Electric Ireland from hiking electricity prices by 23% and gas prices by 25% on May 1.
The Cork North Central deputy said that the ESB should be instructed to operate on a break-even basis for the duration of the inflation crisis.
And he called on the Government to use the emergency clause in the Consumer Protection Act to freeze energy prices.
He said: “How can Electric Ireland justify these massive price hikes when the company they are part of, namely the ESB, made €679m profit last year? And how can the Government stand aside and do nothing when the State is the owner of the ESB and the pain being experienced by so many people is known to one and all?”
Electric Ireland has 1.1m electricity customers and 145,000 gas customers.