Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Over the past three weeks, we have witnessed the devastation caused by Storm Éowyn, how the Government failed to build up resilience in advance and then how it failed to mount an effective response in the aftermath. As our climate worsens, so too will these storms and extreme weather events. I am sure everyone will agree that business as usual will not cut it. However, this programme for Government confirms what we already knew, namely, that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have run out of ideas. There is very little new in this programme for Government and certainly nothing new for the people of Kerry. The Government is determined to continue with more of the same and we all know what doing something again and again and expecting a different result means.

While it is packed with promises to explore, investigate or examine, the programme for Government lacks any vision and any of the political will that Ireland needs. At the same time, many of the convictions Independent TDs claim to have had while in Opposition seem to have fallen by the wayside. It it is going to lead to another five years of crisis in housing, health and the cost of living. Some people trusted the Government on housing in the run-up to the election but they have realised it was not quite being upfront. It knew what was coming down the line after the election with the results for its housing targets.

Ireland's electricity prices are going to remain the highest in Europe and as our over-dependence on imported energy becomes further entrenched, the bottlenecks in planning and the grid will hamper Ireland's green energy revolution, which is vital for the west and south west of the country. Our incredible 640 GW of potential for renewables is going to slip through our fingers. After 14 years in government, it is incredible that we still have no offshore wind or even planning permission granted for it off the west coast. We will continue to blow right past our climate targets and we are going to risk up to €8 billion in fines. The Government's punitive, inequitable approach to climate action clearly has not worked and is not going to work in the future. In addition, the regressive carbon taxes, combined with inaccessible schemes, will punish people without alternatives, locking out those who need the most support. Some of the Government-backing TDs used to agree with me on that, even tabling motions calling for carbon taxes to be scrapped. I wonder if this has now changed. The people of Kerry will be watching very closely to see if they stick to their word because poorer, mostly rural households all over the country and the county simply do not have an alternative to burning turf or using their gas boiler to heat their homes. Do not talk to me about affording an EV.

Public transport is either unreliable or entirely unavailable and to make matters worse Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Independents have failed to outline in detail how they plan to spend the carbon taxes they have talked about so much over the past four years. These are the same carbon taxes they plan to increase every year. Despite committing to ring-fence these funds, only 61% of carbon tax funds have been spent funding carbon action since 2020. The State-driven eco-austerity heaps enormous strain on ordinary workers, families and farmers. As a result, climate action becomes synonymous with rising costs, compounding fear, resentment and frustration. Sinn Féin, on the other hand, wants a just transition to tackle excessive consumption and wealth. Rather than punishing the poorest, coldest homes, our vision includes significant supply-side investment in accessible and affordable schemes, expanding public, community and domestic ownership of renewables and reform of our energy market, one in which the burden of transition is distributed more equitably, not to a corporate buyout. If people are being mandated to make significant changes, they deserve to feel like they are not being ripped off. We need to know the lights will not go out. When it comes to the Government's plan for transport, it is packed with commitments that are already there as part of the national development plan.

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