NíSinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín and Agnes Fraser of Tar Isteach met with th Chuilín tells gas suppliers punitive rate of debt recovery is unrealistic

Sinn Féin MLA Carál Ní Chuilín and Agnes Fraser of Tar Isteach met with the CEO of Phoenix Gas recently to discuss concerns at high rates of debt recovery, in some cases up to £30 a week before a home gets one unit of gas.
Carál Ní Chuilín called on vulnerable people in fuel poverty not to let themselves be exploited by criminals offering to tamper with their gas supply.
“This is an extremely dangerous and lives are being put at risk with this practice,” says Carál.
Carál Ní Chuilín said that utility suppliers such as Phoenix should respond to the cuts in oil prices as many people in North Belfast are been forced to live without heat during the current cold spell.
“We are calling for gas suppliers like Phoenix to cut their bills when the oil prices fall just as quickly as they increase the bills when the oil prices rise,” said Carál.
“We welcome the pilot scheme which Phoenix have introduced to deal with those who have fallen into the trap of tampering with meters.
“However, we told Phoenix’s CEO in a recent meeting that we are concerned at the excessively high rate of recovery of the debt, in some cases people are being forced to pay up to £30 a week before their home gets even one unit of gas.
“We are extremely disappointed that our concerns were listened to but not taken into account. It is right that people should pay for the gas they have used and we would warn people that tampering with the supply is putting people and their kids’ lives at serious risk.
“But if Phoenix Gas think that this punitive rate of recovery of the money is realistic then Sinn Féin and advice workers are saying that you are forcing people into crisis upon crisis and into the hands of money lenders and unmanageable debt.”
Local advice worker Agnes Fraser said she felt that nothing had been achieved in the meeting.
“This is like something from a Dickens novel. I don’t think we achieved anything from the meeting despite making it clear that people in extreme poverty were being exploited.”
NIE have a max rate for those on benefit of £8.5 per week when recovering debt and Carál added:
“We will be raising this issue in the Assembly and it seems logical that there should be uniform regulation across all utility providers to cover these circumstances.”