Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022

Operation and administration of Scheme - functions of distribution system operator

4. (1) For the purposes of the operation and administration of the Scheme, the distribution system operator shall—

(a) on the request of the Minister, determine the number of domestic electricity accounts on such date (in this Act referred to as the “relevant date”) as the Minister may, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, prescribe for the purposes of this paragraph,

(b) as soon as practicable after it has made its determination under paragraph (a), notify the Minister of that determination,

(c) provide the Minister with any additional information requested by the Minister under section 2 (3)(d) or 3 (2),

(d) receive monies transferred to it by the Minister under section 3 for the purpose of the distribution system operator transferring those monies to electricity suppliers in accordance with paragraph (f),

(e) subject to subsection (3), on such date (in this Act referred to as the “effective date”) as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, prescribes for the purposes of this paragraph, notify each electricity supplier of—

(i) the assigned meter point registration number for each domestic electricity account by reference to which the electricity supplier concerned supplies electricity, and

(ii) the amount of monies to be transferred by the distribution system operator to the supplier concerned under paragraph (f),

(f) transfer to each supplier, within the prescribed period, out of monies received by it from the Minister in accordance with paragraph (d), the amount of monies notified to the electricity supplier concerned under paragraph (e)(ii) to be used by the supplier in accordance with section 5 (1)(b),

(g) keep records of all monies transferred to electricity suppliers under paragraph (f),

(h) receive monies repaid to it by electricity suppliers under section 5 (1)(d),

(i) as soon as practicable, repay to the Minister—

(i) any monies received by it from the Minister in accordance with paragraph (d) that are not required to be transferred to electricity suppliers in accordance with paragraph (f), and

(ii) any monies repaid to it by electricity suppliers under section 5 (1)(d),

(j) perform such other functions as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, may, for the purposes of the efficient operation and administration of the Scheme, prescribe, and

(k) make available to an auditor appointed by the Minister all books and records in relation to the performance by the distribution system operator of the functions conferred on it by or under this Act.

(2) The distribution system operator shall put in place such administrative and operational arrangements that the Commission considers necessary or expedient under section 9P(1)(a) of the Act of 1999.

(3) The date to be prescribed for the purposes of subsection (1)(e) shall be prescribed once and once only and shall—

(a) be a date that is not earlier than the date of receipt of monies by the distribution system operator in accordance with subsection (1)(d), and

(b) be a date during the year ending 31 December 2022.

(4) In this section, “prescribed period” means such period as the Minister, with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, prescribes for the purposes of subsection (1)(f).