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

While I appreciate that this Bill is largely technical in nature, in that it deals specifically with the need to facilitate the integration of Ervia and Gas Networks Ireland, GNI, and to provide for the transfer of functions and assets from Ervia to GNI, it also raises very serious issues that merit our scrutiny here today, including relating to the delivery of strategic national infrastructure in the areas of water and gas. I would also like to know what the reason for its delay was, given that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, told us in December last year that he hoped that this Bill would be ready by early 2023. We are now almost ten months into the year.

I would also like to ask if the Minister of State believes that pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill was sufficient. As I do not sit on the Committee on Environment and Climate Action, I was surprised to read that the committee conducted only one engagement with stakeholders, on 4 July, and that involved just three senior civil servants from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, who were the principal officer, assistant principal officer and administrative officer. This seems quite odd, given that the legislation provides the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage with 90% shareholder control, with the remaining 10% split equally between the Ministers for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. I also find it odd that the pre-legislative scrutiny report only made a single recommendation, which was for the passage of the Bill through both Houses of the Oireachtas.

I would also like some clarity on another matter. The general scheme of this Bill provided for no policy matters regarding the future of the role of gas, which I understand was to be provided for through the EU gas package following the conclusion of the trilogue process. This, of course, is an area of policy that is causing consternation and indeed outrage.

We only need to look at the bizarre decision around the Shannon LNG project, which I fully supported along with my colleagues. While this Bill may be technical, at some point we will have to have a very practical debate on the future of gas supply and energy security in this State.

I will refer briefly to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, warmer homes scheme. It is shameful that pensioners are very concerned about it. They are being left on a waiting list for too long. I cannot get clarity in regard to the timeframe in which they will be waiting in Laois-Offaly. A number of pensioners in their late 80s are concerned about a hard, cold winter because they cannot get works carried out through the warmer homes scheme. It is unacceptable in this day and age.

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