A Roscommon-Galway TD asks what’s the point of offering incentives for people to buy electric cars if the charging infrastructure for them is not adequate.

Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has highlighted the case of a driver from East Galway who recently attended a function in Mullingar, and first identified three charging points in the town.

However, two of the chargers were out of order, while the third was much slower and the driver did not arrive home until the early hours of the morning.

When questioned about the charging points, the ESB said the two that were out of order cannot be replaced as the pilot programme, which was funding by the Commission for Energy Regulation, is now over.

The ESB also said they’re awaiting a decision from the regulator on future ownership of the electric vehicle network in Ireland, so they’re not in a position to purchase or install new charging points in the meantime.

Deputy Fitzmaurice says there’s little use in people buying electric cars if they can’t charge them.