Labour Party TD Seán Sherlock has welcomed a move by the Economic & Regulatory Affairs Committee to invite the Commission for Energy Regulation to an emergency meeting to address spiralling electricity costs and disconnections to supply

Deputy Sherlock said: "I believe this is in response to a case which I raised this week regarding a woman who had her supply disconnected even though all payments on her account were up to date. She was cut off because she did not pay a deposit to her supplier.

Thankfully, she has now been reconnected after spending a night in the dark which was extremely distressing for her. "We have to ensure that every effort is made to avoid disconnection which in itself creates further financial problems as this incurs a charge - as does having the supply switched back on - leaving the customer with an even bigger bill.

"There is currently an EU electricity directive with regard to fuel poverty and vulnerable users. This calls on member states to appropriate measures to protect final customers, in particular, to ensure that there are adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable customers.

"There is nothing stopping the government in fast tracking this directive and getting it enacted in time for the winter months. In light of the numbers now experiencing disconnections, I believe this needs to be done sooner rather than later. This would ensure some sort of regulatory regime for all players in the electricity supply field."