Alan Dillon

Well, this is something that Minister O'Brien and the National Energy Affordable Task Force is very much focused on, even at the cost of doing an advisory forum that we host within the Department of Enterprise.

It's a key area for businesses.

They do want more transparency.

There's pretty much urgency about it.

Well, there is.

We want easier comparisons.

We want to clear information for households and businesses.

And we await the outcome of that review.

It will be independently conducted.

And we want to see where costs are coming from and to be better able to switch suppliers, to change plans, but also to cut usage at peak time.

Because if we can empower businesses and consumers, that matters.

Well, certainly energy credits have helped households in the past, and we've seen that during the worst of the price shock during the Ukrainian war, and government has used them before.

But that said, we do need to look at more long-lasting value, and that's why we've permanently introduced reductions around electricity and gas.

We've invested in the grid, fuel allowance support, hardship protections, and again, record investment in retrofitting.

But that said,

Certainly government have to keep monitoring the price and look at the evidence, the trends and the pressures on households and businesses.

And we can't rule measures in and out this far from a budget on the 6th of October.

So that'd be a maybe then, would it?

Well, certainly it has to match the response and the pressures that households are actually feeling.

So I'm sure over the next number of weeks and months, the leaders will ensure that it is an informed decision and that we have the resources available to make these payments pay.