The Fianna Gael, Fianna Fáil and Lowry government choose not to grant energy credits to the most vulnerable in our society in their most recent 2026 budget. And it's a racket.
by Jerrica Struthers
Many people across the poorer, disadvantaged sectors of society, including those workers who are on low pay, minimum wage, or public sector workers on basic incomes, and their families, old age pensioners, students living away from home and renting, continue to find it hard to make ends meet in paying in their monthly energy bills. Current official estimates put a number of over 300,000 households in electricity arrears. While separately, it is estimated that around 175,000 households are in arrears on gas bills. And these numbers are set to increase during the 2025 to 2026 winter months. However, the Fianna Gael, Fianna Fáil and Lowry government choose not to grant energy credits to the most vulnerable in our society in their most recent 2026 budget. And it's a racket. The current generation and distribution of electricity in Vulture Ireland under EU competition rules more or less operates like a pyramid scheme, with those at the top taking the largest cut and a slice of the profits.
The game is so rigged that American data centres and FDI corporations make enormous profits. while further up the chain, the energy supply companies and Eirgrid take their cut, all at the expense of the working poor and the disadvantaged at the bottom. This major government sponsored energy pyramid scheme results in Vulture Ireland having the second highest electricity costs in the world.
The Workers' Party calls for the immediate restoration of these energy credits for the most disadvantaged sectors of society, including low-paid workers, single-parent families, pensioners, people living with disabilities and students in rented accommodation. We also call for the immediate dismantling of the EU-imposed energy pyramid scheme that involves the nationalisation of electricity suppliers thereby bringing their entire operations under state control.
We'd also like to see the abolition of the public service obligation surcharge and the introduction of zero VAT rate on all domestic household bills. Also, we need to have a write-off of all current arrears on domestic electricity bills. We need to see the closure of all data centres and their permanent removal and ban from operating on the national grid. And lastly, the operation of a cost-effective, affordable-for-all electricity supply throughout Ireland under a nationalised state provider.