Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The Minister should consider the amendment. The Social Democrats support it. The bigger energy bills become, the bigger the tax take and the bigger the VAT take. One cannot project the costs involved because we do not know the extent of the coming increases but we know they will be substantial.

I addressed standing charges with the Minister at Leaders' Questions last week. It is merely a question of extending the necessary powers to the regulator. It must be done. It is within our ability to do so and there is no excuse for not doing so.

I will make a final point in respect of future-proofing. If we want to prevent a rainy day, we have to engage in future-proofing. Having energy security is a good investment in that regard and solar energy is a part of that. There is a poverty of ambition in that regard. Solar energy could have an immediate effect. We must also have ambition in respect of offshore wind. We will have real prospects in that area into the future but they will never be realised unless we invest at this point and start delivering at scale. Those are the key issues I wish to highlight.

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