A Clare Independent TD is criticising the Government over the lack of a long term plan to deal with the energy crisis.
It comes as an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers is being held in Brussels today.
Energy Minister Eamon Ryan is meeting with his EU counterparts today as part of efforts to come up with ways to deal with the high cost of gas and electricity since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The emergency summit will also discuss was to reduce energy use at peak times in an effort to avoid blackouts this winter.
Minister Eamon Ryan, says energy companies should be giving some of their profits to EU member states.
His party colleague and Clare Senator Roisin Garvey says demand at peak times has to come down, but she acknowledges that the Government can’t force people to cut usage.
She doesn’t believe that reducing consumption at peak times will just kick the can down the road.
A number of measures are set to be introduced in the upcoming budget to tackle the energy crisis including an electricity credit.
But Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara has questioned how this will counter the problem in the long term.
The Scariff-based Deputy says what’s happening in Ireland is a result of a failure by successive Governments to guarantee energy security and he believes this Government has a duty to get us out of this.
Listen back to the full interview here:
