Pressure on ESB to lift ban over arrears

THE ESB has come under pressure to reverse its decision to exclude customers in arrears from its latest price reductions after Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton urged the company to have a change of heart.

Mr Bruton made the call after the power company banned the 150,000 customers who are behind in their payments from benefiting from reductions as high as 17% on the new combined electricity and gas bills it is offering as part of its move into the gas market.

Mr Bruton said: “I think the ESB should reconsider this position. Ann Fitzgerald of the National Consumer Agency is writing to the ESB to set out that it is not fair to penalise customers, who may have got into difficulties on their payments in the past, in respect of future deals with the ESB.