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

For the better part of the past year and perhaps more, the Government has repeatedly assured the House and the people that every measure that can be taken will be taken to tackle the extreme rise in energy prices. Families and businesses across the State need long-term and meaningful actions. They need real actions that will make a difference to energy prices. They do not need short-term, tokenistic gestures. These will not solve the problem. Businesses are still closing their doors and this Government is still sitting on its hands. This makes a mockery of the Government's commitment to enterprise and to the small and medium enterprises throughout this country that are really struggling, in addition to the many families who are struggling and deciding between eating or heating. This is the reality and the hallmark of the Government.

The Minister of State mentioned retrofitting and, in particular, the warmer homes scheme. I received correspondence from SEAI which states that a pensioner who applies for work to be done on his or her home must wait 24 months from the time of the application until the work is done. I have many pensioners who come into my office. I am trying to help them get this work over the line and approved for them. They really are struggling. They cannot afford heating, yet the Minister of State and the Government are giving themselves a slap on the back over the great work of retrofitting. I do not believe that expecting pensioners to wait 24 months is anything to be proud of. In fact, the Government should be ashamed of this. I ask for urgent action in order to speed this up. Telling pensioners that they must wait 24 months is not acceptable.

The motion presented by my colleagues and me is a real opportunity to test those words. Are the Government's words hollow or does it mean anything it says. We have consistently called for a series of measures to be adopted that would, if implemented, allow people to have greater measures of control over how and in what manner they choose to access energy sources. We have called for greater energy security in terms of offshore gas and LNG.

We have called for urgent action in the context of reopening the power stations at Shannonbridge and Lough Ree. We know how capable of action this Government is when it wants to bring in emergency legislation. Then the Government can act with speed. I am sure that if the political will was there, those power plants at Shannonbridge and Lough Ree would be open. I call again for them to be opened. Anything that was removed from those power stations needs to be reinstalled. We are in an energy crisis. We need these power plants for backup. I am aware that such options would take time, and that the stations cannot simply be switched back on overnight. When the Government wants to, however, it can make things happen at the stroke of a pen and can bring in emergency legislation when it wishes.

The longer we wait and the deeper we sink into energy poverty and energy dependency, the greater the risk that this issue will become embedded in our system for years to come. I recently asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to provide details of the purchase of emergency generation capacity and mobile turbines, and the total cost involved. He stated that the temporary generation units will not come on stream or be installed until winter 2023-24. The cost is approximately €350 million. This will add €40 to the average domestic bill over the next billing year. Again, this is not a long-term solution. It will cause more hardship for people and will cause more businesses to close. The Minister also confirmed that the purchase of these generators was an option of last resort. How have we arrived at this situation? If the Government listened to and collaborated with those of us who have put forward good and concrete solutions that are sensible, we would not be in this scenario.

Just yesterday, the Irish Academy of Engineering sent all Members a report stating quite categorically that Irish energy supply reliability is below standard and that it is threatening to deteriorate further unless addressed. Practical action is needed in order to remedy the shortcomings over the next few years. The fact that we are in this situation also jeopardises foreign direct investment. Ireland is not seen as energy secure, and this jeopardises investment.

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