Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

They account for about 10% to 14% of all electricity we use and less than 2% of greenhouse gas emissions. We have no plans for a ban, but we will reduce new connections and prioritise data centres linked to employment and important social functions, which they are. That is a fact and reality of modern life.

On the Navan rail line, I very much welcome the decision of Government to proceed with that project. It will be beneficial to County Meath and my constituency, where it plugs in at Hansfield. There will, of course, have to be funding to get it through planning and a railway order. There are already a number of projects in An Bord Pleanála, as Deputies will know, including metro, DART and BusConnects, and many are awaiting approval by An Bord Pleanála. The next step is to do planning and design with a view to reopening the rail line to Navan, connecting at Kilmessan and other stops along the way.

On the question of whether a forest estate is a net carbon emitter, one of the reasons may be where the trees were planted because trees planted in the past in Ireland were often planted in highland and peaty soils. It is not just about the trees; it is also about where they are planted. We should acknowledge that we need trees for lots of different reasons. We want more native and broadleaf trees, and for trees to act as a carbon sink. We want trees to provide biodiversity and help improve the leisure facilities we have so that people can walk and enjoy them. We also need trees for timber. There is a housing crisis under way. We should not solve the housing crisis entirely with steel and concrete, because that will drive our emissions up. We need to have more cross laminated timber, CLT, products used in housing. The most suitable trees for that are conifers. We need to have a rounded approach to this. The housing crisis is as important as the climate crisis.

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