In the Government's Budget Statement, a lot of promises were made on tackling the electricity crisis. In it the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, stated that every household will be provided with electricity credit. I acknowledge this measure is a huge help for most households but I have a constituent who raised the issue of one electricity meter covering two dwellings: one home and one independent granny flat where the inhabitant is in receipt of palliative care which requires significant electricity use. Having one electricity meter covering two dwellings impacts both houses' entitlement to the electricity credit. It costs approximately €4,000 to install an additional meter, which is not feasible in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. These dwellings are inhabited and maintained independently, the only combined aspect being the single meter.

Will the Government bring in the necessary legislation to grant eligibility for electricity credits to independent dwellings or granny flats which currently share one meter? Parents are letting siblings and family move into their homes rather than go homeless and siblings are letting parents who have medical needs move into their home rather than into nursing homes.

Is the Deputy talking about where there are multiple flats?

Granny flats and the situation where there is one meter for two dwellings. Families are building granny flats to let their parents come in or vice versa and are only entitled to one grant. Is there a possibility this can be sorted out?

It is not that simple to get a totally universal system for the energy credit. That is why we have brought in other measures, in addition to that credit, to provide supports to others. There is, for example, the extension of the free fuel eligibility threshold which helps many people over 70 who would not have heretofore been entitled to it. We will talk to the Ministers concerned to see if we can do something. Anomalies like this are arising and we have dealt with some in different sectors. We have come up with a system to deal with those but we have to do it in a way that does not allow for obvious exploitation.