Taoiseach: ESB profits will be used to bring down people's bills

Micheál Martin: 'The Government can look forward to a much bigger dividend than would have been the case before the energy crisis.'

The Taoiseach said on Friday that the Government would use its dividend from soaring profits at ESB to help people struggling with soaring energy bills.

Micheál Martin told reporters in Co Clare: “The Government is the shareholder on behalf of the Irish people, so we have the capacity through the dividend that we receive that we can recover that. Obviously, given the scale of the profits on the back of the energy crisis, I think Government can look forward to a much higher dividend than would have been the case prior to the (energy) crisis.”