The announcement that electricity prices are to increase in October is of grave concern, according to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVP). The Society says that it will add further to the level of fuel poverty which the SVP has witnessed consistently in recent years.
Coming into this year the cost of fuel arising from the worst Winter in decades had a siginificant adverse impact on those on social welfare and low pay, says the SVP. “The introduction of a carbon tax without any compensation plan in place for these groups means those in most need were already facing another bleak Winter. The addition of an average of 5% on household electricity bills from October is yet another blow to the most hard pressed in Irish Society.
"While the Government has signalled that it is preparing an energy affordability strategy, it has not yet introduced any compensation measures for the most vulnerable households in relation to the carbon tax and and now these households face additional electricity costs.
"The pressure placed on poorer households, in particular rural households, by the Carbon tax and the electricity increase must be tackled by the Government. This has to be done as soon as possible and the Government’s delay in identifying compensatory measures for the Carbon Tax at this late stage is unacceptable. We believe that 100% of the Carbon Tax Revenue should be ring-fenced to address Fuel Poor issues", says the SVP.
This year the Society of St. Vincent de Paul expects to provide in the region of €4m to help many people struggling to meet their fuel bills.
You can listen to an interview carried out with Johnmark McCafferty, Head of Social Justice on Country Mix 106.8 on the proposed increases in electricity.
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