Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too opposed the Government's proposals last week in the motions because we all want to ensure that measures put in place are just. I will give a few examples of things that should be in place and alternatives that are not available. We all know the charging point infrastructure for electric vehicles is not in the country. I have a constituent who sold the electric car he bought eight months ago because he could not charge it at home owing to a problem with the ESB, nor could he do so in Tuam because there is only one charging point there. Down in Claremorris, there is also only one. The man sold the car. He said he would never touch it again.

For about 12 years, we have been looking for a bus lane between Claregalway and Galway city. For probably 20 years, we have been looking for a bypass of Claregalway. I mention these points because we talk about cars idling outside schools. Around 30,000 cars idle for about half an hour every morning as people try to get to Galway from the Tuam area, and they do so again in the evening as they try to get home. This causes many problems for air quality and the health of our people.

The warmer homes scheme is great but the delay in getting people to do the inspections and the work is up to two years. As late as three months ago, I saw a project being carried out under the scheme. Everything was done right except that the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland funded an oil-fired boiler to heat the place. I believed it should have been a heat pump. Therefore, we are still using fossil fuels and funding their use through our warmer homes scheme.

A situation in my constituency, in Derrybrien, points to what can be done and what should be done urgently. Turbines producing energy for up to 50,000 houses are to be decommissioned. Not alone has the wind farm been providing green energy but it has also been helping us nationally to reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. The Government is standing idly by instead of introducing emergency legislation to ensure it remains in place. The site also has telecommunications and emergency radio assets for the area. It benefits the local authority economically through rates and the local community through a dividend.

The other issue concerns what people are heating their homes with. Consider the number of solid fuel ranges and stoves that are still in local authority houses. The local authorities need to replace all of them with heat pumps. How long will it take to do that? Will it take five years or ten? People must not be forced out of a situation without an alternative.

The grants for the retrofit scheme are fixed. While new grants were introduced lately, much of the benefit has been eroded through inflation. I ask the Minister to relay to the Government that we need a just transition. Let us not try to force people into something if they have no alternative to what they currently have. Forcing them is why there has been such a huge backlash over recent months. It is why we are speaking about it for the third time in the Dáil and why we need to bring clarity to what we are doing and understand exactly the implications of what we will do so we will not leave people in a worse position regarding heat, hot water or cooking. It is a huge problem for many in this country. I commend Deputy Fitzmaurice on bringing forward his proposals. We have talked about turbary rights and licences and the history of people shifting from one bog to another. They were given compensation to buy turf for the next ten years but all of a sudden they cannot buy it. We have to settle this down and ensure everybody is treated properly.

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