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

I am proposing to amend this Bill. I will pick up on some of the points made by Deputy Leddin. I welcome the opportunity to come back on Report Stage and I expect I will. It would be important from my perspective that we get a sense or indication, perhaps not at this Stage or even on Report Stage, of an intention for the direction of travel and an understanding of the intent from this side of the table, if you like, in respect of the proposals here. I will run through some of my proposals. Amendment No. 8 intends to give CRU powers over the connections and disconnections policy.

Amendment No. 9 requires greenhouse gas emissions to be a consideration in policy and would give the CRU some authority in that regard.

Amendment No. 10 requires the climate action plan and carbon budgets to be specific considerations with regard to connections policy.

Amendment No. 11 is similar to Deputy Leddin's amendment No. 13. It intends to give the transmission system operator the power to refuse connection on the basis of climate and greenhouse gas emissions. That is relevant to, for example, islanded data centres.

Amendment No. 12 requires consideration of upstream pipelines and the impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

As I said in my previous contribution, there is a theme to these amendments. They are seeking to do similar things in different texts. I expect we can find compromise texts if the Government and Ministers were of a mind to move in that direction. The main thing I am looking for is some sort of indication in that regard. As I said, I do not intend to call votes on my amendments. I can reintroduce them on Report Stage and reconsider the situation at that stage. I am interested in the willingness or not of the Government to move in this direction.