Dáil debates

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed)

 

5:25 pm

Photo of Danny Healy-RaeDanny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was watching on the monitor when another Member said that it was a good thing that people would be told where to build, what to build and how to build it.

I reject that out of hand and stand by the people who have paid a high price to build their own houses in which to raise their families. It is aggravating to say the least.

This Government could not plan for three or four years never mind 22. That this plan will be sacrosanct and statutory and that it may be impossible to add anything or take it away if it is wrong is against my principles. Climate change is going to cost €22 billion or at least €22 billion will be provided for it. Who will provide that? It will, of course, be the people. At that rate of going, it will cost €1 billion a year to comply. We are told we will not be allowed to cut turf by 2030. The words used were to the effect that we cannot burn peat. We were told we would be better off to leave the turf in the bog but a lot of people in Gneevgullia, Kilcummin, Kilgarvan, Caherciveen, Killorglin and all the areas in between would be very cold if they were not allowed go to the bog, cut their turf and bring it home. There will be serious repercussions if the Government tries to implement that.

On the Paris Agreement, every law and rule has to apply to Ireland but there is no talk at all about Japan where they cannot see one another with the smog. They have masks on their faces. It is the same in China. We find that all the grand tractors and lorries we had have all gone now to Third World countries like India where they are working fine. We cannot use them here at all. We must have AdBlue and additional costs and complications. We must have that but the rest of the world can have what was good enough for us ten, 15, 20 or even 30 years ago. In 2006 and 2007, people were told they would have to get diesel cars. In 2012 and 2013, they were told to have AdBlue and comply with climate regulations. My time is running out, but-----

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