Fears are growing that there will be no more electricity credits beyond March until next winter despite rising bills for thousands of Irish households.
Yesterday, Eamon Ryan said the Government will decide “in the next few weeks” whether or not to extend credits into next winter.
The credits were announced in last year's budget amounting to €600 per household. The first two credits were applied to bills in November and January respectively with the final confirmed credit to land in accounts in early March.
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The Environment Minister told RTE’s This Week programme that the Covid-19 supports were wound down over time, and this issue would require something similar.
He said lowering the credits is “less likely” and added: “If we were to continue them I think they would probably continue as they have been used.
“The question on that would be very much timing orientated and depends on what’s happening in the energy markets.
“There has been in the last six weeks a significant drop in the international gas market price. We don’t know how long that will last for and it will take some time before that kicks in to lower bills.”
Ryan added: “You’re best to really hold your fire on those to periods when bills are the highest going into the winter period.
“We waited until October and we really went at it big then with social welfare increases as well as credits.
“I think we should stick with the approach that worked.”
When asked if he would consider going into Government with Sinn Fein, Minister Ryan said: “I’ve always said that the scale and the urgency of change needed on the environmental side means that we can’t sit back and wait for the ideal partners [in Coalition].
“I believe every party, every political viewpoint, has to be part of this change. So yes, we will work with all parties to make it happen.
“But Sinn Fein also has to change. They have to start taking the environmental agenda seriously, and show the ambition and the scale of response, and the funding and the resources that need to go with that in their policy approach.
“So we would enter any such negotiations with absolutely honest respect to all parties, respecting their mandate, but also holding a line.”
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