Laois TD says consumer watchdog 'totally useless' as cost of living soars

A Laois TD criticised the CCPC and said soaring electricity prices are directly related to the privatisation of electricity supply.

Deputy Brian Stanley also claimed the CCPC(Competition and Consumer Protection Commission) was “totally useless”.

“I ask the Government to examine the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to see what it is about. In my time here, it has shown itself to be totally useless, and I do not say that lightly,” he stated.

Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Stanley said “we had one of the cheapest electricity systems in western Europe when it was all in public ownership, but the cost has increased since the State started to privatise it. “

READ ALSO: Heritage festival returns to Laois

“Other reasons have been given, and I accept there are other factors, but one is that because it is privatised, profit-making actions are taken by the companies generating electricity. We need to get into our heads that this has happened.”

Deputy Stanley said “we have had a cost-of-living crisis since the end of Covid. This has escalated and it is now at crisis point. It is a serious situation, and Government needs to understand that. Middle- and low-income households were never under so much pressure.”

He told the Dail that petrol, diesel, solid fuel and gas had all risen in price and electricity costs were the highest in the European Union.

“Rents, mortgages, house prices and waste charges are high. Health insurance does not just go up once a year anymore. It goes up two or three times, in double digits, and people are forced to pay it. Grocery prices, student fees and much more are all escalating. The combined total of all this is bringing huge pressure on ordinary, hard-working people, who cannot keep up,” said Dep Stanley.

He said the increases are leading to mortgage arrears and leaving people struggling to pay their rent and bills.

“People just cannot pay their electricity bills. As of March, we have 320,000 people in arrears on their electricity bills. It is fair to say that could be 400,000 now. Some 180,000 were in arrears on gas as well in March. It is safe to say that figure has escalated since,” he said.

He claimed the wealthiest 10 percent of people have never had it as good. He said big supermarket and hotel chains have never had it as good.

“We are looking at the transfer of wealth. Budget 2026 did not just leave behind ordinary PAYE workers and the self-employed; it actually left them worse off because of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael's failure to increase tax thresholds and move the tax bands. PAYE workers and self-employed are now paying much more tax. The number of people in arrears on electricity has reached crisis point. People in rented accommodation are really struggling because rents are out of control. We know why that is. That must be addressed,” he said.

Dep Stanley called for targeted measures to address the issue. He said households with incomes of below €75,000 a year should be looked at. He also suggested imposing windfall taxes on large energy companies and urged the reversal of VAT cuts on big hotel chains and big food outlets like McDonalds.

“We need targeted energy credits for households with income under €75,000. We urgently need a cost-of-living payment for people who are disabled because they are €1,400 worse off this year than last year as a result of the way the budget measures were done,” he said.