There are many groups that have good reason to come out onto the streets in a cost-of-living demonstration this Saturday but one group that has better reason than most comprises the thousands - probably tens of thousands - of residents in multi-unit apartment complexes who are locked into contracts for district heating systems. This week in my area, hundreds of tenants in areas such as Honeypark and Cualanor were shocked to find that their bills had gone up by 140% overnight. They cannot switch provider. They are not regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. They cannot query their bills. They are completely locked into these arrangements. Tuath Housing, Respond and Clúid Housing wrote to the Minister in May, saying that many of their tenants have faced increases in recent months of 600%, way in excess of what anybody else has faced. Companies like Kaizen Energy and Veolia Ireland are charging unit rates of three, four and five times the highest rates of the other providers.

Time is up, Deputy.

Will the Taoiseach take urgent action to control the cost of energy for people on district heating systems?

I will engage with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, who has responsibility for energy, regarding the specific issue the Deputy has raised in terms of district heating.

The Government will have a whole series of measures to try to reduce pressures on households and protect jobs, as I have said. We have already allocated about €2.5 billion over the past year. We will have a cost-of-living package next week along with the budget, which is designed to take pressures off people. In regard to this specific issue I will engage with the Minister on it.