Energy costs are sky-high and putting real pressure on workers and families. People are getting bills for eye-watering sums that they simply cannot afford. A study of electricity prices across Europe has found that Ireland is the most expensive of 33 countries. That comes as no surprise to people living here. The cost of electricity has doubled for Irish households in the past two years, and yet the Government has simply asked companies that are enjoying record profits to pass on savings to customers. It has done nothing to back this up with real action. It is little wonder, therefore, that costs continue to soar. Government energy credits have come to an end and bills are still through the roof. What action will the Government take to help households faced with extortionate energy costs?

As I said earlier, we expect energy prices to come down. We have made that very clear to the electricity and gas companies. We have already seen petrol and diesel prices come down. We have extended the low VAT rate of 9% on electricity and gas through to the autumn. This week, over 1 million people - pensioners, people on social welfare and families - will receive a €200 payment from the Government to help them with the high cost of living.

I wish to raise with the Taoiseach the very disturbing revelations that an investigator with the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, apparently attended a party with Gerard Hutch on the evening of the day that the latter was acquitted by the Special Criminal Court following the prosecution arising from the Regency Hotel murder, which casts such a long shadow on those communities so badly impacted by organised crime and by the Hutch-Kinahan feud in particular. This is a really disturbing revelation about GSOC. The Garda has mounted an investigation, and that is welcome. However, I echo the calls of my colleague, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, for the establishment of an investigation of the matter independent both of GSOC and the Garda. This investigation could be led by a senior counsel or a retired judge or it could be modelled on the Seán Guerin inquiry. It should be swift and focused. This is such a serious matter - it has the potential to undermine, to a great degree, public confidence in policing and our policing apparatus - that it warrants that level of investigation.

Go raibh maith agat.

May I say-----

The Taoiseach to respond.

We are concerned that this is not just an isolated incident-----

We are over time.

-----and there may be other issues around Garda collusion with organised crime.

This is a very serious matter. I can absolutely guarantee that the Government and the Minister for Justice, Deputy Harris, are taking it very seriously. There is already a Garda investigation under way. That is the appropriate investigation, in my view, because this is potentially a criminal matter. As the Deputy knows, only the Garda can carry out investigations into criminal matters. Senior counsel cannot do that.

Seán Guerin looked at Garda files and at the way prosecutions were handled.

People Before Profit–Solidarity is next. I call Deputy Bríd Smith.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

I beg the Deputies' pardon. I took off my glasses. I apologise. I call Deputy Cairns.

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle definitely needs her glasses.

The review of our abortion law involves some really concerning findings. It states women are experiencing delays and even obstruction when trying to access services. Services in parts of the country are described as untenable and at risk of ceasing altogether because so few GPs and hospitals are involved in service provision. It is an indictment of the public health service that more than four years since we repealed the eighth amendment, just 11 of out 19 maternity hospitals are providing abortion services. More damning is that the hospitals which are not providing the services are run by the State. The report also highlights the paternalistic and patronising three-day mandatory waiting period women have to endure to access care. The difficulty in accessing care in this country when there is a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality is particularly indefensible because of the suffering it is causing. The Taoiseach said he was uncomfortable with some of the recommendations contained in this review. Many of us are uncomfortable with women's legal right to essential healthcare being either obstructed or denied.

I thank the Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond.

When will the Government act on the recommendations?

The Government considered the report earlier today. The Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, will publish it tomorrow and people will have a chance to read it then. He has referred it to the Joint Committee on Health for its advice and deliberations. It will be up to the committee to decide how long it takes to do that. Obviously, it is an all-party committee.

On operational recommendations that show gaps in the service, we are going to act on them right away. These are being referred to the HSE for implementation. There are 400 GP practices that provide abortion services in Ireland. That is not a small number. More than 8,000 abortions were performed in Ireland last year, which is not a small number either. There are some gaps in some regions, however, and we need to encourage GPs in those regions to provide the service. The HSE will be working on that.

There are 19 hospitals in Ireland that provide obstetric and gynaecological services.

Question No. 346 answered with Question No. 345.

I am disappointed that the Deputy has decided to personalise an important and very sensitive issue. She does a disservice to women when she tries to personalise an issue such as this.

I did not personalise anything.

How did she personalise it?

I just expressed my regret.

What does the Taoiseach mean by that?

The Deputy was having a go at me. The Deputy has plenty of opportunities to do that on other issues. Nobody should personalise this debate. Everyone has their views on this matter. People are entitled to their views and those views should be respected. I am sorry the Deputy is not able to do that. I will leave it at that.