Householders are burning through their €200 energy credits at a rate of knots in this cold snap. I spoke to a woman on the north side of Cork city last night living in a council house with a poor building energy rating, BER. She is spending €10 per day on electricity, €10 per day on gas and €7 per day on coal and blocks. She is a pay-as-you-go customer and her next €200 credit will not cover her until January. She will be all right as there are two wage packets coming into that house, but what happens in the house where that is not the case? Will people be disconnected in Christmas week or the week running up to New Year’s Day?

Today, as the Taoiseach reminded me, the Government signed off on a €10 million energy poverty fund. Does the Taoiseach seriously expect people to be beating a path to the door of MABS, Alone or the Department of Social Welfare in the days running up to Christmas? Why will he not bite the bullet on this issue and extend the gas and electricity moratorium not just to bill-pay customers but to all customers, including those on pay as you go?

We have bitten the bullet at this stage in terms of the measures that have been brought to the Cabinet today by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, which specifically targeted those on pay as you go. It is a good measure that is designed to target a group that is not captured by the other significant range of payments that have been made through social protection and other measures. People will not be cut off during Christmas week.