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

On “Morning Ireland” yesterday, Wednesday, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, stated that he could no longer guarantee there would be no blackouts this winter. In his own words, I think what he said was that the energy supply is going to be a little bit "tight". That is a an understatement. EirGrid has stated that if no action is taken, Ireland will be short 260 MW of electricity in 2022 and 2023. Why has this happened? The Government - in other words, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil - has pandered to the Green Party, closing peat power stations such as Lough Ree. Bord Gáis customers face a 12% rise in gas and a 10% in increase in electricity prices. There have been something like 17 announcements of ESB increases over the last couple of years. This will see customers pay 28% more for gas and 24% more for electricity than last year. Similarly, Energia last week announced increases of 15.7% for gas and 18.5% for electricity, on top of two increases earlier this year. The Government policy has resulted in fewer Irish jobs, less Irish fuel, higher Irish prices, potential blackouts and a massive knock-on to inflation in general.

The horticultural harvesting of peat in Ireland ceased in September 2019 yet, over the last couple of weeks, 4,000 tonnes were imported from Latvia at a higher cost, both financially and environmentally. Can the Tánaiste please explain to me how this makes sense? The depleted supply of Irish peat and the ban on harvesting of peat is endangering 17,000 jobs across Ireland. The horticultural industry is at serious risk. They came to the Dáil a couple of months ago to make their case, and I know they got a good hearing on the day, but they did not get a good hearing from the Government. The cost of importing peat, for example, is three times the cost of providing our own peat.

Two more shipments, believe it or not, of 4,000 tonnes will be required each month if we are to keep the horticultural industry serviced. This was a decision of the Government. It is not good enough. I do not want anybody to think that I am landing all this at the lap of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan; I am not. The Minister did this, but he was ably and suitably abetted by the Tánaiste's party and the other parties.

I would remind the Tánaiste that last year, on the third Saturday in February, in Texas, after the network failed, 69 people died in their homes of hypothermia. Can the Tánaiste guarantee that we will not have a situation where people will be cold and in danger in their own homes where there is an over-reliance on electricity, where there is no chimney in the house, and where people need electricity to keep themselves warm, to feed themselves and to keep themselves safe?

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