Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This is a narrow piece of legislation. It carries out a particular function and transfers functions from one entity to another, which is the dissolution of Ervia and the transfer of powers from Ervia to Gas Networks Ireland. I do not think this Bill is the appropriate vehicle for these changes or amendments. The gas package includes regulations and a directive. The regulations will become law automatically in Ireland when they are passed. The directive will require transposition and we will have to bring in new primary legislation to implement it.

In short, the gas directive is trying to reform the purpose of European gas companies so that they can be part of the decarbonisation of Europe, part of the Green New Deal, ensure they can work with hydrogen, biomethane and new technologies, and take on board the new geopolitical reality of not buying gas from Russia. I guess there are huge changes coming there. They need to be legislated for in Ireland. Some changes will be automatically legislated for and some will be decided. New and agreed definitions will come out at European level in the coming weeks. Whichever legislation we put it into, we will be in a better position to do it in January of next year than in December of this year. I do not think we are going to put these changes into this Bill. They will be put into the new Bill.