MINISTER FOR Energy Eamon Ryan said he would investigate a claim that senior and retired ESB executives were receiving free electricity.

He was responding to Fine Gael spokesman Leo Varadkar, who said he was concerned about something that had come to his notice in recent days.

“While the ESB is cutting off power to vulnerable people, who cannot pay their bills, it is giving free electricity units to senior managers and executives and retired executives,” he added.

“Will the Minister confirm that the ESB does not give free electricity units to its well-paid employees, while it cuts off power to its customers?”

Mr Ryan said he had never heard of such an arrangement, and he would check it out and come back to Mr Varadkar straight away.

Asked by Mr Varadkar if he would be horrified if it was true, the Minister said he did not believe it would be appropriate.

Mr Ryan said the increased level of disconnections of gas and electricity customers was a concern for the Government, the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) and energy utilities. The key message for all customers was to contact their suppliers to make arrangements before it got to the point of disconnection, he added.

The CER, said Mr Ryan, had announced its decision that the cost of disconnections would be shared equally between the supplier and the customer in the case of the non-payment of account. It was an interim measure, beginning on December 22nd, he said.