Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes, and lithium. Where are these mined from? The Minister has issues and hang-ups with fracked gas and bringing oil in from Barryroe. He has issues about LNG storage. Does he not mind child labour? I am shocked and appalled by the Members in this House who will not even refer to it. Child labour is used to mine cobalt for these batteries. The children are seven and eight years of age. This is our new dream electric industry built on the backs and the sweat and blood of children. It sickens me to the bloody core of my being that this can be totally ignored by the Minister and all the global warriors for climate change. This happens and we are passing legislation to try to protect our children from interference online. This is shocking. It is child labour in 2022 and we are turning a blind eye to it internationally.

I was contacted about six weeks ago by a good friend of mine, an old businessman in Tipperary, who has an electric bike. He had the bike which he had not used for about two or three weeks in his downstairs kitchen. At 2 a.m., while he was upstairs, he heard an all-merciful explosion. He thought it was someone breaking in, so he got dressed to go downstairs. His wife ran down. The battery had exploded in the bike. It was not left charging or anything like that. He had an awful job of covering it with coats to try to get it outside into the yard. The manufacturer said that it would replace the bike. No questions asked; do not tell anyone about this. Cars have exploded. Batteries have exploded in many places and it was all hush-hush. They are a danger in apartments and houses. The whole house could have burnt down. His kitchen was seriously damaged. I met him at the Bansha shows and he showed me the pictures of it and everything else.

Come clean with the people, please. We all want to mitigate against harmful emissions, but come clean and be honest with us. We do not have the infrastructure. We do not have longevity in the batteries. People have said that when cars are driven for a certain number of kilometres, possibly 20,000 km, the battery life diminishes quickly. Getting all the infrastructure in place, ensuring safety is paramount and, above all else, the heinous crime of child labour should be top of our agenda here. I remember many people complaining about Nicaragua and the Sandinistas. God knows, every other issue in the world has been complained about here. It is self-righteousness and it should not be happening. However, we are being told to go electric while child labour is used to mine the main ingredient for the batteries. I could rest my case on that because it is sickening.

We will not be supporting these amendments - the whole thing is based on a three-card trick, a con job really - until the Government comes clean with the people, is honest and truthful, and that the infrastructure is there and safety can be guaranteed. What happened in the car park near Mahon where they could not extinguish the fires? What happened with this battery points that were put up around the country? They are a danger. Firemen are not trained or do not have the equipment to deal with them if they go on fire. The number is not massive but there are a substantial number of batteries in them. There is a danger to the neighbours, the firemen and all and sundry.

We need an honest debate in the House and we need to come clean with the people. As far as I can see, climate change is all about controlling our people. There is no better way to control them than when their battery goes flat after a few miles and they are left in the middle of the road with nowhere to go.

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