First, I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this very important Bill. As I have said in the Chamber several times, it is a fact that the cost of electricity has gone up every day since we closed down Bord na Móna. Reflecting on it now, that should not have happened but Eamon Ryan and the Greens were in a hurry. It should not have been closed down until we had at least made some preparations or had enough wind power or energy from other sources to replace it, although I fervently believe there was nothing wrong with generating electricity from turf or with cutting turf. I have turf cut and ready to save myself. It is very important to have your own fuel. People were wrongly advised that they should not cut turf. Many people are now afraid to cut it. They think they are breaking the law but they actually are not. They can provide turf for themselves. That is legal. I hope that will never change. The worst thing that is going on with the energy companies now is that there are so many of them and they are making fortunes on the backs of poor people. Even working-class people and small businesses are suffering. I cannot understand what is going on. Some companies are putting up their prices by a given percentage while others are putting them up by even more. One company has even brought its prices down. It seems there is no regulation whatsoever. The regulator is asleep, not there or not acting for some reason or other. It is not good enough. I call on the Minister of State, the Taoiseach and the senior Minister for energy to bring these electric companies before the relevant Oireachtas committee, whether that is the committee on energy, the committee on finance or some other committee. The ordinary people on the ground whom we represent are the people we are answerable to. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, spoke about the amount that is being put into retrofitting but there are many people who are not benefiting at all. You need a lot of money to meet the qualifying conditions for the grant. On the warmer homes scheme, I was talking to someone last week and many people are being excluded because they do not qualify. They are not told for a year and half although they are waiting for it. That is not on at all. That should be rectified. Like everyone else, I am afraid that many people will be in the dark and cold this winter.

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