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

This Bill is totally undemocratic in that it gives the Minister the right to push through a carbon budget without a vote in Dáil Éireann. This Bill will hurt the people who get up early in the morning who must go to work. It will hurt hardest the people who create jobs and employ people. It will hurt farmers and there is no recognition of what farmers can do with carbon sequestration. In France, farmers are allowed to sell gas that is created from animals, which provides income for the farmers. The Government does not want to mention that.

The Government seems to want to ensure older people will perish with the cold if they are not allowed to cut turf and must get briquettes from Germany. Many of these people do not have the wherewithal to insulate their homes or install underfloor heating. They do not have the funding for it.

The Minister does not want us to build roads and prefers public transport. All the public transport is in Dublin, with buses running around empty or with one or two people inside. At the same time we cannot get any public transport down the country. The Minister has said we can get along with one or two cars for each village. Perhaps we could park it in the churchyard or somewhere. That is totally unrealistic.

The Minister is condescending and looking down on the rural people. He has suggested that reintroducing wolves would be good for us. Cop on, man. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste should cop on, along with the rest of the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties. They are supporting this man in driving rural people into the ground. It is what he is trying to do.

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