Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wonder about some of these amendments in terms of where along the schedule they will have implications for existing licences. Do they apply to all existing licences or tentative ones? At what stage of the licensing process will licences be caught by these provisions or excluded?

We have discussed energy security in the Dáil Chamber in terms of ensuring that we do not have blackouts. The Sunday newspapers wrote much about the concerns in that regard at the weekend. This brings me to the issue of assessment. We have an energy review. It is important that we see that information so that there can be confidence in the security of our energy supply for the years ahead and that we are not facing a cliff edge, as some call it.

Sinn Féin proposed amendments to deal with future situations where this legislation, including the Minister's amendment, might be contested. They related to dispute settlement and the likes of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA. That they were ruled out of order was disappointing.

We did not get to discuss amendment No. 1, but a point that will run through this debate is people having confidence that we are making decisions based on sound and up-to-date information that is made publicly available and to which communities and different sectors can contribute. This is an important matter that relates to this amendment and will arise time and again during our discussions on this legislation.