Call made for Waterford TDs to act on energy measures

Sinn Féin TDs for Waterford, Conor D. McGuinness and David Cullinane, have slammed Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for what they say is their continued failure to tackle the energy rip-off facing households and families across the state.

Deputy McGuinness said the government must urgently support Sinn Féin’s proposals to bring down the cost of energy, tackle price gouging and make life more affordable for ordinary people.

Commenting on the matter, Deputy McGuinness said: “Ireland has gone from having some of the lowest electricity prices in the EU to among the highest. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael did nothing to stop this happening and they continue to uphold the very system that caused it. That must change."

“Families and workers across Waterford and the South East are under enormous pressure," he said.

"People are skipping meals, cutting back on essentials and worrying about how they will pay their bills while energy companies continue to post massive profits," he added.

"That is not fair and it is not sustainable."

He said any claim that the soaring costs are unavoidable or too complex to fix is not accurate.

"The rip-off is not inevitable," he said.

"It is the result of political choices made by successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Governments," he added.

“For years, Sinn Féin has put forward practical and achievable measures to tackle this crisis head on, but those proposals have been ignored while ordinary people are left carrying the burden."

He said his party had the plan and the political will "to end this rip-off for good".

"Government should support Sinn Féin legislation to bring down energy prices, tackle price gouging and make energy affordability a genuine national priority," he said, commenting that his party's legislation proposal would give the energy regulator the powers needed to properly monitor and regulate the practices of energy companies, tackle profiteering and ensure greater transparency around pricing strategies.

“It would strengthen the regulator’s powers to investigate anti-competitive behaviour and ensure that energy affordability is treated as a core responsibility rather than an afterthought," he said.

"Sinn Féin has also proposed legislation to regulate standing charges, which are currently completely unregulated despite adding huge costs onto household bills before a single light is switched on," he added.

Deputy McGuinness also said data centres must pay their fair share. 

"Ordinary households should not be paying many times more than large data centres because of sweetheart arrangements while families struggle to heat their homes," he said. "That is deeply unfair. The Government should also examine the introduction of a windfall tax to prevent oil and gas giants making billions in crisis-driven profits, while ordinary people are expected to simply absorb the costs."

“This comes down to political choices," he said.

"The Government can continue to protect crisis profiteering, or it can stand with ordinary workers and families who are struggling to make ends meet," he added.

Meanwhile, Deputy Cullinane said: “People across Waterford are exhausted by the constant pressure of rising bills and rising living costs. Energy prices remain far too high and the government has failed to get a grip on the situation."

“Sinn Féin’s proposals are practical measures that would make a real difference for workers, families and pensioners who are being squeezed month after month," he said.

“The Government needs to stop defending a broken system and start standing up for ordinary people.”