Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will come back in again. The amendment made an important point which I think the Minister of State has missed. I am pleased there is a cross-departmental stakeholder group looking at energy poverty. That is important. However, this amendment also says the results and analysis of the committee will be incorporated into any future schemes with regard to this electricity emergency Bill. It is not just in relation to energy property. We are saying the next time the Minister of State brings this Bill to us, which I imagine he will do because the energy crisis is not getting any better any time soon, he will be coming again with another emergency Bill that will be rushed through the Dáil. There will not be any pre-legislative scrutiny. It will be guillotined and we will have the same scenario we have had this time and the previous time. The next time that happens, I want to make sure the advice of those experts has been incorporated into the Bill and that the Minister of State has used that advice to make sure people who do not need this money do not receive it and instead it 100% fully goes to those who need it. That is one element the Minister of State missed in his response. It is not just a committee to look at energy poverty; it is a committee that will specifically inform the development of the next electricity rebate scheme when Government has to do it.

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