Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

No, but I think it is a sobering thought and it shows that the Government really did not think this through. It took decisions without realising the consequences of what it was doing. It is a bad start for our aims and ambitions with regard to climate action if one of the first things to happen is that we cannot guarantee energy supplies in this country. The credibility of everything will be thrown into doubt and we will have to look seriously at what we propose to do in the future. I do not think that the people will go along with giving the Government a blank cheque of support if they see that a result of this will be chaos in the markets and in their work and home lives if they cannot be guaranteed an energy supply. One can look at simple things that have happened such as peat being imported from Latvia after people in Bord na Móna have had their jobs and way of life shut down. Bord na Móna played an integral role in Irish society. The result is now that the jobs are in Latvia, the briquettes are made in Germany, they are sent to us here and everything is fine. It is crazy. If you stand back from it and think about it, it would be laughable if it was not so serious. I am not laughing at it and nobody else is as far as I can see.