Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. We are discussing the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Bill. The Minister is fully aware that we are in the middle of a global energy crisis and that the impact of inflation in the eurozone is nearly 7%, never mind what is happening in the United States.

The Minister mentioned the short, medium and long term. In the short term we need to take action right now. That is the €200 that will be put into over 2 million household accounts by April. That is immediate action to deal with an issue that is facing us right now. The Minister also mentioned the fuel allowance. I agree that we need to review the eligibility criteria, but it will benefit up to 70,000 households.

When it comes to the medium term, there is investment in the retrofitting scheme which is important. Last week, 100% funding was announced for those who are most vulnerable, 80% for wall and attic insulation and up to €25,000 for a full energy home upgrade. The Minister, Deputy Harris, referred to the centres of excellence that have been rolled out for the retrofit scheme. There are now four across the country. We need to upskill people and get them up to speed in their trades so they are able to roll this scheme out. I do not know if the Minister can speak about the plans he has in place to manage the waiting times around that.

Yesterday, €430 million in funding was announced for the third level sector. Half of that will go to technological universities. There will be four funding streams, one of which will be around apprenticeships. Technological universities will have the capacity to develop more and more students coming through to do apprenticeships linked with employers. That is crucial.

The Minister also spoke about the long term, which comes back to renewable energy measures, in particular offshore wind farms. I am curious about how the micro electricity scheme has progressed since the announcement in December. Does the Minister have any update on that? It would be very interesting to hear about that. It has huge potential in terms of our farms and schools being able to have solar panels which generate their own electricity while also paying back into the grid under the export certificate scheme.

The Minister knows I am from Ballinasloe and he knows Ahascragh pretty well. East Galway and Roscommon are quite regional areas. The Minister is very aware of the transport challenges we face. I was involved in the Connecting Ireland scheme during the public campaign. I did two campaigns, one in Roscommon and a second in east Galway, to promote transport and how we want to connect our universities and hospitals, such as TUS in Athlone and GMIT in Galway. There is no real connectivity between key institutions, amenities and hospitals in our area, such as Portiuncula Hospital and Roscommon University Hospital.

What is the outcome of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan? Is there a timeline for when there will be an outcome? A number of different routes were suggested. In the past week a reduction of 20% in fares on public transport was announced and the cap on school transport costs at €500 for a family with secondary school children is welcome.

However, an awful lot of people in my area are annoyed because that is of no benefit to them. Such measures are brilliant if people are living in city or town centres. The fare scheme for students aged 19 to 23 was introduced in the budget, which involves half-price travel. It should be implemented as soon as possible, along with the working family payment.

What about the Connecting Ireland scheme? When will we get the feedback from that? When will there be more transport between our smaller villages and towns? When will there be basic bus stops with a cover on them? It sounds like we are asking for the sun, moon and stars, but when I was a councillor I invested in one bus shelter. We could only have one on one side of the road in Ballinasloe because of the width of the footpath. There is no cover for people waiting at bus stops. The bus stops at the hospital are covered, but older people, those with disabilities and those with families, including children in prams, are being asked to wait on the side of a road. It is crucial that we have quality of life because people now demand more than they did 20 or 30 years ago.People now demand more than 20 or 30 years ago. There are people who are taking taxis right now and how does this funding of a 20% decrease in public transport fees benefit them? I know it is hard for the Minister to provide answers immediately and I very much appreciate the short-term and immediate measures that the Government has taken straight away. In the medium and long term, how will we get back inputs from the measures being put in place over the past few months?