Nearly 300,000 people were in arrears on their energy bills in September, according to the CRU (Commission for Regulation of Utilities).
Following a Freedom of Information request filed by Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan, the figures revealed that 297,000 people were in arrears on their energy bills, a slight drop from the 308,000 figure that was logged in August.
Despite the slight drop, Boylan noted that the figures were no cause for celebration, as it was an increase of 22,000 from the same figures in September 2024.
The Sinn Féin MEP said the situation marks “a new low for Irish politics; this Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael government has presided over the worst period of energy arrears since records began.”
Boylan said “people don’t even have the relief of energy credits to look forward to this winter,” with the government announcing there were no plans to provide relief despite measures being introduced in the 2022 and 2023 Budgets in an attempt to curtail the cost-of-living crisis.
She said, “the long-term trend is moving sharply in the wrong direction, with more households than ever before falling more than 90 days behind on their bills.”
“I welcome that the CRU is finally publishing this metric as standard practice, after my FOI request revealed they had been providing it to government for months without making it public.”
Boylan stated, “if the government is serious about protecting households, it must get a handle on the runaway price gouging that has taken hold in the energy market.”
The MEP noted that the timing of the figures being released, as the most up-to-date figures were not present in the run-up to the Budget.
“These figures should have informed public debate in the run-up to the Budget, yet the CRU chose to sit on them despite previously committing to publishing them monthly,” she noted.
“The idea that the CRU can choose when to release such vital information must come to an end. The regulator must now set out a clear, reliable schedule for publishing arrears data every month going forward like the homelessness figures.”