Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)

There is an anomaly in that the wholesale price of gas on the international commodity market is falling, while, at the same time, Bord Gáis is seeking a 10% increase. The public is finding this difficult to understand and while that is not too bad, it will find it even harder to pay. As an entire set of new charges, including water charges and property taxes, will be rolled out in the next few years, everything possible must be done to try to curb and control the price of fuel, energy and electricity. While the Minister has stated the regulator is independent, which may be the case, to what extent does the regulator consider the public interest from the perspective of how people will actually pay for such an increase? When making this point, I am mindful, for example, of the recent survey conducted by the Irish League of Credit Unions which, to its credit, is a broadly based and independent organisation that is to be found in every community throughout the country. Its recent survey of people's disposable incomes and the remainder thereof at the end of a particular month has credibility. Moreover, it was conducted on a cientific and factual basis and showed that the majority of families of their membership did not have any disposable income available to them at the end of the year. When the regulator informs itself, will the Minister ensure it takes into consideration the aforementioned survey carried out by the Irish League of Credit Unions because it was a fine piece of work? The majority of people, particularly in urban settings, who are members of the credit union movement will find themselves in the category of those who face hardship.

In order to inform the regulator properly, can the Minister ensure that he gets that survey as part of his decision making process?

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