Energy costs were rising before the war: Why wasn't the Government better prepared? 

Energy prices are a factor the public has no control over but must still deal with its consequences

As the biggest jump in domestic energy bills in living memory has come into effect as charities warn that 2.5 million more households are set to fall into "fuel stress" and supplier websites remained unresponsive to customers.

A constant feature of Irish life in the past two years has been the Government preparing us for bad news.

We had it before every Covid announcement, where whatever pain was coming in the form of stricter restrictions was flagged well in advance. And, when those decisions were made, the voices we heard were usually from the sectors affected and the impact it would have there.