Donegal Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

20% EBS increases could have been prevented by government.

Published: 18 September, 2006

Sinn Féin Donegal county councillor and general election candidate, Pearse Doherty, has stated that the recently announced increases in the prices to be charged to consumers for electricity and gas emphasises again the urgent need for a radical new approach to energy policy.

Cllr Doherty said:

"The huge increases in the cost of energy will have a massive and detrimental effect on many low income households this Autumn and Winter and the increase in electricity units offered to pensioners will make only a small difference. The fact is that many people, often those most vulnerable from the point of view of health, will not be able to afford to keep themselves warm over the coming months.

"The increases underline the need for the Government to put in place a strategy to maximise the amount of the energy demand that can be supplied from domestic sources. Fundamentally that requires a revision of the terms under which our oil and gas reserves are under the control of multi-national corporations. It is amazing that these increases come only a few short weeks after our government handed over potentially billions of euro of oil and gas reserves that lay of the coast of Donegal to multinational oil companies at a price of less that �10,000. The 20% increase in electricity costs reinforces what I have being calling on the government to do. That is to ensure that our natural resources are harnessed to benefit our people. If we were to have proper terms and conditions attached with exploration licences we could be in a position where our own oil and gas would be bought by the state at a reduced price. It is amazing that the increases have been cynically used by some to argue in favour of rolling over to Shell on the issue of the Corrib field. In actual fact, however, if the Corrib gas or the Donegal gas were to come on stream under the current regime, it would make no difference to energy prices, as it will be sold to An Bord Gais at current market prices.".

Cllr Doherty added;

"The Irish Government needs to intervene in order to ensure that the oil and gas off our shores is used to the benefit of the Irish people in terms of jobs, security of supply and above all the cost charged to consumers and businesses. If it is simply been given away, as at present, then the only beneficiaries will be the likes of Shell and a small number of downstream contractors. These energy increases could have been avoided if the government had addressed this issue.".