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05th Jul 2022

Government considering giving public €200 again to assist with rising energy costs

Hugh Carr

Energy customers received €200 with their bills in April.

As the cost of living crisis continues to put the squeeze on the public, Leo Varadkar has confirmed that the Government is considering another €200 credit to assist with rising energy costs.

The Tánaiste discussed the possibility on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio One on Tuesday (5 July).

“It’s certainly an option, and it is a way that we can help people reduce the cost of their electricity bill,” Varadkar said.

“It’s a simple thing to do and if you give it to every household, it’s a simple way of doing it. If you decide to have a means-tested system of some sort, that’s very complicated and can be quite expensive to administer and can take a lot of time to do, whereas a discount is very straightforward.”

Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney had previously discussed the possibility of bringing back the credit while speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s This Week on Sunday (3 July).

“That is something obviously that the Government has to discuss,” Coveney said.

“I think the vast majority of people are feeling pressure from their energy bills. People that are working and earning are feeling pressure, and of course people who are on fixed incomes are under pressure as well, so it’s about getting the balance right.

“Obviously, the budget has to focus on low to middle-income earners, because they’re the ones under the most pressure.”

First mooted back in December 2021, the first discount on energy bills was officially signed into law in March 2022.

The €200 credit appeared on user’s bills from April, although some discounts weren’t deducted until May or June due to the specific billing cycle of the electricity account in question.

The credit was automatically applied to energy bills without any additional action from the customer.

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