Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Bill. It speaks to a real concern many people have about the State's ability to ensure we have a secure supply of fuel not just for the coming winter and spring of 2023 but into the future as well. Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, fuel prices and supply chains have been heavily impacted. Many people are living that reality. It is good to see this kind of measure being given time in the Dáil. I share the concerns of others about how we are seeing many emergency measures coming into play with limited consultation and discussion. We are a year into this crisis and I am surprised that we continue to see emergency Bills and measures being put in place.

The Bill seeks to address several areas, including providing more clarity on the powers of the Minister and how quickly they can be deployed to control the supply and distribution of fuel in an emergency; putting all aspects of oil emergency planning on a statutory footing; establishing a register of oil suppliers to ensure fast communication to retailers; allowing Revenue to share data on oil movements to enhance responsiveness of the State in an emergency; and the transfer of functions from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to the Department of Transport regarding renewable transport fuels. When I resume my contribution tomorrow, I will raise the transfer in particular and whether the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Communications will continue to have any oversight of or be able to view those decisions if this area is completely transferred to the Minister for Transport.

I note the Minister, when speaking about the Bill recently, said it was part of a suite of initiatives being deployed by his Department to ensure the security of Ireland's energy supply in the near future.

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I am interested in hearing what further upcoming measures, if any, the Minister will bring forward in the near future with regard to that.

The Minister also stated the long-term priority is to insulate consumers from volatility on the international wholesale markets by investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, expanding interconnection with European markets and deepening Internal Market integration. I will focus on that issue tomorrow and on how we can ensure that not just businesses and the State, but communities, individuals and homes can become as energy resilient as possible in order that these kinds of initiatives become less important or necessary.

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