John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 7 are related and will be discussed together.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 1:

In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:

“Amendment of section 9D of Principal Act

4. Section 9D of the Principal Act is amended— (a) in subsection (2)(c), by the insertion of “, notwithstanding subsection (10)(b),” after “and”, and

(b) in subsection (10)(b), by the substitution of “Subject to subsection (2)(b), all” for “All”.”.

These amendments enable the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to provide funding to enable the continued operation of the safe electric scheme and the registered gas installer scheme in the interest of safety for electricity and gas operators and the public. These statutory schemes were established by the CRU in 2009 to regulate the activities respectively of gas installers and electrical contractors with respect to safety under the energy Act 2006. In 2022, the CRU appointed an operator for both schemes following a competitive tender process. Schemes are funded through annual membership fees and certain charges paid by members. In recent years, the CRU has attempted to limit fee increases to reflect a difficult trading environment and cost-of-living pressures. However, the current contract requires scheme operators to recover a certain amount of revenue to support its operations.

Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 remove the restrictions in the principal Act which prevent the CRU from providing funds directly. This will ensure that the schemes, which serve vital safety functions in the public interest, can continue to operate in the case of unexpected cost increases or decreased revenues due to declining membership. Amendment No. 7 is a technical amendment reflecting this purpose in the Bill's Long Title. I assure the House these changes will not result in any additional charges on the Exchequer. The Electricity Regulation Act 1999 enables the statutory functions of the CRU to be funded through a levy to be paid each year by the industry.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 2:

In page 9, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:

“Amendment of section 9F of Principal Act

5. Section 9F of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) in subsection (2)(c), by the insertion of “, notwithstanding subsection (10)(c),” after “and”, and

(b) in subsection (10)(c), by the substitution of “Subject to subsection (2)(b), all” for “All”.”.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Amendments Nos. 3 to 6, inclusive, and No. 8 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 3:

In page 40, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following:

"Amendment of section 22 of Turf Development Act 1998

23. Section 22(1)(b) of the Turf Development Act 1998 is amended by the substitution of "€1,500,000,000" for "€650,000,000".".

Amendment No. 3 inserts into the principal Act a provision amending section 22(1)(b) of the Turf Development Act 1998. I have already outlined the reasons for this change when introducing the motion to instruct the committee. I thank Members for allowing this important amendment to be dealt with as part of the Bill currently before the House.

Amendments Nos. 4 to 6, inclusive, and No. 8 are technical amendments consequent to the amendment of the Turf Development Act 1998 to reflect the Bill's expanded purpose. Its Short Title is changed to the Gas Safety and Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2026.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 4:

In page 40, line 12, to delete "(Amendment)" and substitute "and Miscellaneous Amendments".

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 5:

In page 40, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: "(2) The Turf Development Acts 1946 to 1998 and section 23 may be cited together as the Turf Development Acts 1946 to 2026.".

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 6:

In page 40, lines 13 and 14, to delete " and 19" and substitute ", 19 and 23".

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 7:

In page 3, line 5, after "1999" to insert the following: "to provide for the funding of functions of an Electrical Safety Supervisory Body or Gas Safety Supervisory Body appointed under that Act by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities;".

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I move amendment No. 8:

In page 3, line 19, after "2014;" to insert "to amend the Turf Development Act 1998;".

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Pursuant to Standing Order 194(3), I report specially to the Dáil that the committee has amended the Title.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Bill will now be sent to the Seanad.