Cap on electricity firm revenues to be agreed by Cabinet

The Cabinet is set to agree a cap on all market revenues of non-gas electricity generators alongside a temporary solidarity contribution for companies active in fossil fuel production.

Minister for Environment Eamon Ryan will on Tuesday bring a memo to Cabinet on measures to address windfall gains in the energy sector amid the ongoing energy crisis. EU energy ministers recently agreed that a cap should apply to operators that have made unexpectedly large financial gains over the past months, without their operational costs increasing.

One Coalition source estimated that the windfall cap could raise anything from €400 million to €1 billion. The solidarity contribution from fossil fuel companies could also provide financial support to struggling households and companies over the course of the winter.

Separately, the Cabinet is set to agree plans to ban nicotine-inhaling or vaping products for those under the age of 18. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is set to outline the plans at Tuesday’s meeting as well as proposals to restrict the types of retailers that can sell vape products.

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A recent survey by the European Schools Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs found that e-cigarette use among Irish 15- to 17-year-olds increased from 10 per cent to 18 per cent between 2015 and 2019. It is understood that under Mr Donnelly’s memo the Government would also move to curb the advertising of vaping products near schools and other settings frequented by children and young adolescents.

The ban on advertisements will also extend to public transport in order to limit children’s exposure to commercial messages their either “normalise” or “glamorise” the purchase and use of e-cigarettes.

Mr Donnelly is expected to tell the Cabinet that there are concerns that vaping is a gateway to smoking. He will give details of a review by the Health Research Board which found that children who vaped were five times more likely to start smoking. It is understood that the vaping measures would take effect early next year.

Meanwhile, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is to seek Cabinet approval for a Bill to provide for wide-ranging policing reforms. Under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill, local community safety partnerships will be set up to develop local safety plans tailored to the priorities and needs identified by communities themselves.

It would, in effect, see local communities work in tandem with State organisations to improve safety in their areas. The Bill would also strengthen and consolidate independent, external oversight of An Garda Síochána.

A new policing and community safety authority would combine the policing oversight function of the Policing Authority and the inspection function of the Garda Inspectorate. As part of this change the inspection powers would also be enhanced to include, for example, the ability to make unannounced visits to Garda stations.

The Bill would also expand the remit of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) and overhaul its investigation procedures and separately seek to strengthen oversight of national security.

Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman is to bring fresh amendments to Cabinet regarding the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity (Amendment) Bill, which is designed to end the wardship system.

The amendments seek to increase the number of Circuit Court judges by three to 41. He will tell Ministers that this will ensure that applications for decision-making representatives under the new legislation can be processed. There are at present 2,815 wards of court in the State, and approximately 300 to 400 applications each year, meaning the new judicial appointments are necessary to manage the anticipated demand for the system.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is to publish the Social Welfare Bill 2022, which will enact a range of measures set out in the budget, including a €12 hike to welfare rates. The legislation will commence its passage through the Dáil this week, and brings about more than €1 billion in social welfare increases for next year.