Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

At the outset I would like to indicate to the Cathaoirleach that the Independent Senators at their meeting today passed a motion of sympathy for the Cathaoirleach on the sad loss of his sister, Eileen, and a vote of sympathy for the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Coghlan, on the death of his mother, Peggy. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.

I will mention a number of matters today. The Perjury and Related Offences Bill that we read about today in the newspapers, which has been championed by Senator Ó Céidigh and other members of my group, has been lying unaddressed in this House for some time and I am glad to see that the Minister for Justice and Equality has got the Government's agreement to make some amendments to it. I am somewhat underwhelmed by the suggestion that these amendments are far-reaching in any particular way because the Bill did extend to perjury before tribunals and perjury in affidavits tendered to tribunals.

Be that as it may, it is not a question of ownership of the Bill, but one of getting it moved onwards, debated and passed. The Leader should indicate when it is proposed to take the next Stages of this Bill, for which there is cross-party and almost unanimous support in this House for its quick passage and enactment into law, in order that civil law will have some teeth in view of the reluctance on the part of the prosecuting authorities to prosecute in the absence of a clear statutory basis.

The second point I raise arises out of the plans which were approved by the Cabinet yesterday and which I hope will be circulated to all Members of the House fairly quickly for our consideration and debate. They relate to climate change and the steps the Government proposes should be taken over the next few decades on that issue and my specific issue pertains to data centres. I understand there are between four and eight serious proposals to build extensive data centres in Ireland, the effect of which will be to increase our demand for electricity over the next ten to 12 years by up to 33% to 35%, which is a conservative estimate. It appears to me that the Department responsible for enterprise has been single-mindedly pursuing the establishment of data centres in Ireland without proper consideration as to whether we can sustain an increase in the demand for 24-hour a day electricity of that order in the context of meeting our climate change targets in the future. I ask that the Minister, Deputy Bruton, be called to this House by the Leader to indicate how he proposes to reconcile the increased demand for electricity anticipated on foot of the establishment of all of these data centres with the adherence to the targets for sustainable electricity consumption and generation over the next 15 years.

Finally, on the Order of Business, I propose that an amendment be made that the figure of three and a half hours proposed by the Leader of the House should be two hours only.