Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tá áthas orm labhairt ar an mBille seo. Mar is eol dúinn, tá formhór na dteaghlach ar fud an Stáit seo ag fulaingt. Caithfidh an Rialtas seo a sheacht ndícheall a dhéanamh chun cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt dóibh chomh luath agus is féidir. It is vital that all the necessary steps are taken to prevent households from sinking under the weight of energy price debt this winter and into the new year. In that respect, I see that the Bill provides for a benefit payment in each of the periods, namely, November to December 2022, January to February 2023 and March to April 2023. I have a parliamentary reply pending on a specific issue that the Minister of State may be able to shed light on. It is whether churches and parish halls will also be eligible for support for their energy costs. They are doing their utmost and also have significant energy bills. They provide vital community services and are deserving of equal support and an equal response.

In the wider sense, the issue of energy costs is front and centre for households, businesses and farms, which are the major users of energy throughout this State. A farmer I spoke to recently said his costs have risen by more than 400%. Can any level of State intervention rise to the challenge of offering support, when costs are at such an astronomical scale? The Bill does nothing in signalling a change in our fundamental approach to energy security, which is nothing other than a sham. Instead, the Government insists it is doubling down on renewables and refuses even to consider options such as LNG, gas or oil exploration. The power plants at Shannonbridge and Lanesborough need to be reopened. We need to have a sense of pragmatism and urgency. Those power plants could be powered and fuelled on biomass. I again call for that, as a Deputy in the midlands.

I have no doubt but that future generations will look at this self-imposed hostility towards our available energy resources as an act of utter lunacy and national self-harm. As important as it is to offer some financial support, it is difficult to avoid the impression that we are merely delaying the inevitable and that sooner or later Irish households, families, businesses and farms will be pushed over what I recently described as the energy price precipice. It will be no consolation to these people, as they plummet into cold and ruin, that it was all done to meet the demands of a nonsensical and borderline insane carbon reduction policy that is radical, extreme and is restricting us just when we need flexibility and common sense the most. It is like throwing a heavy weight to a drowning person instead of a rope.

Burden after burden is imposed on the Irish people. Regulations on the banning of heat and energy sources such as peat, and even wood, are being pursued with reckless vigour with little thought for people who are struggling to heat their homes this winter, despite a clear and obvious need for a change in approach or at least a pause. We also need certainty that prepay customers will be protected. In addition, I am calling for a full investigation of the roll-out of the so-called smart meters, which are far from smart, and the impact they are having on families. As Ms Caroline O'Doherty recently reported, only a tiny fraction of the almost 1 million electricity customers with smart meters are using them as intended. In fact, more than 930,000 smart meters have been installed in homes and small businesses under a €1.2 billion scheme over the past three years. Many people were under the distinct impression that these meters would assist with costs and were legally mandatory, yet we know that the tariff plans are being described as deeply confusing and unworkable. It is yet another example of people being railroaded into schemes that are not operating in their interests but in the interests of another agenda entirely.

I will conclude by referencing my question on the reopening of the power plants. It needs to happen. We are in an energy crisis and we need our power plants at Lanesborough and Shannonbridge reopened immediately.

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