Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022

Establishment of Scheme

2. (1) On the coming into operation of this section there shall stand established a scheme to be known as the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme II to be operated in accordance with this Act and any regulations made thereunder.

(2) The Scheme is established for the purpose of making an electricity costs emergency benefit payment in each payment period during the relevant period in accordance with this Act and any regulations made thereunder out of resources allocated for the purposes of the Scheme under subsection (3).

(3) (a) The Minister shall, out of such monies as are available to him or her from monies provided by the Oireachtas, and with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, allocate such amount as he or she determines for the purposes of the Scheme.

(b) The amount allocated under paragraph (a) shall not exceed €1.211 billion.

(c) The Minster shall estimate the amount required to be allocated under paragraph (a) for the purposes of making electricity costs emergency benefit payments under section 5 (2) and, in so doing, the Minister shall have regard to the number of domestic electricity accounts notified to him or her by the distribution system operator in accordance with section 4 (1)(b).

(d) The Minister may request information additional to that notified to him or her in accordance with section 4 (1)(b), including up-to-date information in relation to the number of domestic electricity accounts, from the distribution system operator for the purpose of allocating an amount under paragraph (a).

(4) The Scheme shall be operated and administered by the distribution system operator and electricity suppliers in accordance with this Act and any regulations made thereunder.