People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett says something must be done urgently by the Government to tackle profiteering by energy companies.
Customers have suffered 58 energy price hikes in 18 months, which he says is causing hardship and misery to huge numbers of people in this country.
He says the state is doing nothing to control these prices or to impose some sort of windfall tax on these companies that are profiteering.
Deputy Boyd Barrett is making this call on the Government ahead of a major protest before the Budget:
"We need the Government to impose price controls on electricity, on gas, on heating oil. And indeed, the Cost of Living Coalition is already planning a major national demonstration on September the 24th, before the Budget, to try and put pressure on the Government to impose price controls and to stop this profiteering by the energy companies."