Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response in which he stated that, "Ireland is a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid." Yet Ireland has the most expensive energy costs. A number of the speakers referenced energy poverty. We still have food banks today.

I told a story a while back in this House. It was a true story that broke my heart about a child aged probably six or seven who had spent practically all of his life sleeping on a beanbag. His mother was living in fear because she could not afford the electricity bill. This was before the Government bought in the exceptional needs payments for these cases. That was the fear before we had the war. There are people out there who are really worried about the coming winter and that it will be a choice between food and energy. People are not making this up.

We have the potential here for growth. The growth is amazing with wind energy but also green hydrogen energy. As has been said to me, the fact is we should be the Dubai of Europe when it comes to producing energy such as this. We should export hydrogen and by-products of oxygen and ammonia, which is a massive one. That would take the pressure off using gas to refine oil, petrol and diesel.

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for bringing forward this motion, which is about bringing things into the system more rapidly. We are only here for another couple of weeks. We do not know what we will face coming into this winter. Geothermal energy was also mentioned. I installed a geothermal system into a house 20 or 25 years ago. Why have we never gone into geothermal? Is it because it would not suit other suppliers of panels or whatever? We have to be realistic about this but I call on the Government to support the points made by Deputy O'Rourke and others tonight and support the motion. Let us hope and pray to God that people will not be battered down for the winter this year again with people saying they cannot afford to heat their homes or keep the lights on. We do not want to go back to living by candlelight again.

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