Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Regional Group for bringing forward this motion. It is a far-ranging motion that touches on every element of the energy issues we are seeing, be it security of supply or price. We must be clear that they are two separate issues with two drivers behind them. The exorbitant prices being applied to people's bills are as a result of the problem in Ukraine, which could not have been foreseen. There is also the security of supply issue, which the motion also relates to.

On the security of supply issue, there is no one else to lay the blame with other than this and previous Governments due to their lack of planning. I found it laughable when the Taoiseach said that he was surprised when there were discussions and warnings about blackouts and brownouts this coming winter and how he would have appreciated more warning in that regard. The reality is that this and previous Governments were warned annually about the security of supply issues we are facing now. They were warned about the pressures on and the lack of investment in the grid. EirGrid's generation capacity statements, published every year since 2018, made it clear that we would face significant problems with energy security. Professor Brian Ó Gallachóir, of the MaREI centre, tweeted at the time that the centre's academics had issued ten warnings over the previous four-year period. Clearly, it was not an issue of a lack of warning; it was an issue of a lack of listening.

Last year, I brought forward a Social Democrats motion in respect of data centres and the need for a moratorium on their development, because of the pressure they put on the grid. During the debate on that motion, I raised the issues about security of supply, how this uncontrolled and unregulated growth of data centres was putting such pressure on the grid that we would face blackouts and that it would raise the cost of electricity prices for ordinary homeowners, which we have seen happen. It would also undermine the environmental message from the Government and those of us in the Opposition who want to see progress on climate change and environmental measures. It is difficult to tell an individual, who has their own bills and costs to deal with, that they need to retrofit their home or buy an electric vehicle. Regardless of the grants available, it is still a costly exercise. It is difficult to say that to individual homeowner while explaining it is for climate and emissions reasons, and for our energy security, when at the same time large corporations are allowed to use what power they want and build as many data centres as they want. In fact, this was encouraged and facilitated by the Government, that data centres were a key industry for us and there would be a free-for-all when it came to data centres. We are all paying the price now. This is not an anti-data centre discussion. This is a management of our grid discussion. It will do no one any good if we cannot put the lights on in homes or businesses across the country in the winter. That goes for the people who work in and build the data centres, as well as the corporations, and their employees, that own the data centres. The issues were are having with security come down to a lack of planning by the Government, and that is unacceptable because it is a government's primary function.

I refer to the price issue. I said earlier there are two issues and two drivers. I believe governments across Europe are scrambling to address that issue. Two approaches must be taken. There are the immediate needs. How do we help people now? How do we help people and businesses get through the winter? How do we make sure they can afford to pay their energy costs? How do we make sure they can afford to feed their children? How do we get them safely through this winter? I hope the Government will put a significant emphasis in the budget on those immediate needs. The Social Democrats party is calling for an energy assistance scheme that will put money into people's pockets and that it will be targeted. A fundamental principle for us is that we must make sure any financial supports or measures are targeted toward those who need it most, which is something we have repeated frequently. As a Deputy, I do not need €600 in support to pay my bills. My family and I will manage and there are many families who will manage. It will be uncomfortable but they will manage. There are hundreds of thousands of families for whom this could mean life or death or could become a serious situation for them.

I have spoken previously about a man in my constituency who ended up in hospital because he had an electricity bill to pay. He is diabetic and he could not buy the correct food for himself and ended up having an attack and going to hospital because he paid his bill instead. That is the situation some people are facing. We in the Social Democrats believe the focus of the Government should be on making sure targeted measures are introduced that are sufficient to help people through the winter.

Once people get through the winter we need to look at how we make people in businesses more robust against these types of price shocks in future. We cannot allow ourselves to continue to be as susceptible to what is happening in Europe. This comes down to making sure there are sufficient retrofitting schemes and grants in place. It is not only about the money. It is also about making sure that workers and the capacity are there to get it done. There is a two and a half year wait for those applying for the warmer homes scheme, which is not acceptable. These are our most vulnerable people. The solar scheme for vulnerable customers has not yet been put in place. It was meant to be put in place in the second quarter of the year. It was part of the national energy review. These simple measures are not being taken and they need to be taken.

One of the risks in this is the undermining of the environmental message. When people are focused on feeding their families and their very survival, it is very difficult for us to speak about emissions, carbon and addressing environmental issues. The Minister needs to make sure individuals and homes are helped enough so that we can also communicate the importance of these messages.

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