Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

-----while, at the same time, shielding themselves and the Government from justified scrutiny and criticism over a series of amendments we will never even get to discuss because this debate will be over in a few minutes. These amendments were never discussed by the Dáil at any stage and we are not going to get the opportunity to discuss them. They will do extreme damage to the environment. They make a mockery of the claims that this Government and the Green Party are concerned about climate action because they are going to lock us into fossil fuel infrastructure.

It is particularly sickening that all of this is being justified on the basis of energy security when the main cause of energy insecurity in this country is the willingness of this Government to allow the further expansion of data centres which are going to suck up vast amounts of energy and create the energy insecurity the Deputies claim they are worried about. Having fewer data centres and less fossil fuel like LNG would do far more to address our energy security than what the Government is doing. We will not have any further opportunity to speak on this. I know Deputies O’Callaghan and Bacik wish to speak. Shame on the Government and the Green Party for what they have done with this Bill. It makes a mockery of their claim to be concerned about the climate crisis.

See this speech in context