Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was somewhat confused when I came into the Chamber in that it looked like there were only two parties in government. I think I am correct that nobody from Fianna Fáil has spoken yet, but things are as they are.

I am going to make my points in a straightforward way. I am glad we are having an over-and-back exchange and I am very glad the Government wants to work with the Opposition. We would be only too delighted to do so. However, it is all about delivery. At this point in time, as other speakers mentioned, we have a Government that has failed to deliver on its targets, including in regard to the public electric vehicles scheme, the retrofit scheme and training hubs. There has been a failure to front-load the changes needed in transport. The Government still has to get its act together on floating offshore wind. The minute all those things are done and the targets are delivered on, then we will get somewhere.

I will be straightforward again in referring to something I heard said earlier about the national broadband plan. It was the usual thing of, "I am very glad the Opposition is now on the same side as us and has seen the wrongs of its ways." We are not on side. We do not believe the correct contract was given or that it was done in the right way, but it is the only show in town. We all accept the necessity of facilitating remote working and Internet access for the public. We need delivery on that as soon as possible and we will maintain it at the top of our agenda. That is the way it is. However, we need to be absolutely clear on one point. We are not going to deliver climate change if the public sees it is being done on the backs of regular people by imposing carbon taxes without any alternatives being offered. We all accept there will be difficulties. There is nobody in the farming sector who does not know that is the case. There is a need for the Government to consult with people and show them a future roadmap. Unless that is done, there will no public buy-in and we will not have delivery of the targets set.

See this speech in context