Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on these amendments on the subject of a just transition. The Minister referred to retrofitting a great many houses in the midlands when he spoke about the just transition and that being a part of such a just transition. Funnily enough, Roscommon County Council is sending out letters to people, and elderly people first of all, who might be putting in windows, doing up a roof or fitting insulation. Letters are being sent out, one after another, to tell those people that the council's budget is gone. It is not the fault of the council and I am not blaming it. However, let us not be talking out of the two sides of our mouths by saying we are going to retrofit a certain number of houses, while we are still going to leave these people, and especially our elderly people, vulnerable in counties all over the country.

When we talk about a just transition, therefore, let us not put the cart before the horse. Let us ensure that we have the funds in place. Retrofitting a house, including a deep or medium retrofit, costs money. In addition, we must remember all the new regulations and the increase in the price of building materials in the context of this climate agenda. I was talking to a builder yesterday and it is now being reckoned that an extra €90,000 has been added to build what was a €300,000 house. There has been an increase of more than 35% on everything. It is now a bargaining tool in respect of getting materials, which is a really problematic situation.

I am not going to dwell on this point for too long, but I cannot see how this Bill will be of any use for rural Ireland. The Minister spoke about the just transition. In the last few hours, the courts have overturned planning permission for the construction of a wind farm in the midlands, with wind turbines that are similar to those being erected all over the country. They do not create jobs. For the life of me, I cannot understand why seven lorryloads of diesel or heating oil are going into data centres in this city, when we are here talking about climate change, because the ESB will not guarantee the power supply. There is something illogical about what we are doing in this country when we talk about a just transition. Workers in the midlands are not allowed to mill peat, but we can bring it into the docks on a boat. Peat briquettes are also coming in from Germany, Estonia, Latvia and other countries, while Bord na Móna must get out of producing them in four years' time.

Turning to the forestry sector, while we have one, a Minister of State is responsible for it. We have had mention of this great figure since 2016 of 8,000 ha each year. There is not a farmer that has a bit of confidence in that now. It is a Department in chaos, with a Minister of State that will not take it by the scruff of the neck. It will not change because when courage is lost in an industry, it is gone. This is an industry which is under ferocious pressure to get enough timber for the mills, while there is talk then about 8,000 ha a year. It is pure BS that we are talking. We are writing down stuff here about achieving X, Y and Z, with this offsetting that. It is not going to happen unless civil servants within Departments change their attitudes and unless there are also changes in certain Departments. That is the bottom line, and that will not happen in this country for the simple reason that there is no one to crack the whip now.

Regarding the farming community and rural areas, the Minister referred to bringing a Luas, tramlines or something to Cork, but there does not seem to be anything at all for Galway city. Nothing must be wanted there. It must be fairly handy that the cars can shoot around there, even though there is chaos. We need the outer bypass done in Galway. Moving on to rural transport, I got phone calls yesterday from people who want such transport, but they cannot get it because of Covid-19. When I was going to school, it was like "The Late Late Show", there was a bus for everyone in the audience to go to national school. Hardly a youngster now, however, is able to get a bus and we are talking about the climate. We are basically talking out of the two sides of our mouths at the same time.

Looking at agriculture, I refer to people who will vote for the Mercosur deal, CETA or any of these deals. I read an article two days ago about the rainforest being hammered down, and yet the EU, the unelected bureaucrats, will still do deals with all the countries involved to bring beef across. We have become nothing but salespeople and all we want to do is to tick a box. I predicted before, and I repeat it here on the record of the Dáil as this Bill is going through Report Stage, that we are going to run out of power by 2026. I say that because RTÉ had a big report - I would call it propaganda - about the coal-burning power station below in Moneypoint changing over to a new hydrogen system. It was reported as if it were around the corner and it would nearly be happening the next day, but it is ten years away. I have also spoken to people involved with wind energy projects out in the sea and they say such projects will require ten to 14 years to reach fruition. However, we are now stopping the clock on places like Shannonbridge and Lanesborough power stations. We are basically leaving people without jobs.

We talk about all these jobs that will be created, but it is all cuckoo stuff that we are talking about. Those jobs do not exist now and people have not got them. We should ensure we have balanced regional development. A person on the advisory council said that the only approach was to cull the national herd. We cannot have people making decisions out in public. Half the people on that council should be from rural Ireland, and not a team of people from universities or from the different places in cities who do not understand the rural way of life.

I want to make one point very clearly, because I know that the Minister is not going to accept amendments and he is going to ram this Bill through as best he can using the guillotine. I cannot for the life of me understand how Fine Gael and Fianna Fail Deputies from rural areas will stand up tonight and press a button to agree with the Minister's Bill. The Minister will come and go, but one thing I guarantee is that rural Irish people will stick their ground. If the Minister starts tampering with them or hammering them, they will stand up. The Covid-19 crisis will go and people will be able to go out and protest. I guarantee that will happen within the next six months if the Minister tramples on people's feet.

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