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

I am sorry I was late. I was caught on a Topical Issue which was also on climate-related matters. It is the nature of the Oireachtas schedule.

There is a clear pattern in the amendments that are coming from both Government and Opposition in this case. It is about the future of the gas network, what drives the decision-making of Gas Networks Ireland, and how aligned that is with what should be overarching Government policy, including the climate Act, carbon budgets and the climate action plan, and to try to ensure, in legislative terms, that there is a primacy there. We acknowledge the important role Gas Networks Ireland plays and will continue to play, but it is really important there is a consistency across Government. It is a very important actor in our energy transition and our energy system. While on the one hand we are pushing for reductions in emissions, it would be perverse to have a situation where there was any sort of incentivisation for the expansion of the natural gas network, for example. I think that is the thrust of a lot of the amendments.