Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I offer a warm welcome to the deputy ambassador from Greece and my sympathies to the ambassador, Ekaterini Simopoulou. I had a wonderful trip to Athens last week as part of the St. Patrick's Day celebrations so it is great to see our colleagues in the Chamber.

Of late, there have been a number of calls for the reopening of midlands bogs as a solution to rising energy costs but these calls are counterproductive, divisive and unhelpful. My colleague, Councillor Hazel Smyth, was the only councillor in her municipal district in Westmeath to vote to reject a motion to allow the widespread burning of turf to tackle rising fuel costs. I know that some of these calls come from a place of deep concern for the well-being of others and I share those concerns but tackling one crisis by worsening another is not the answer. Anyone pushing for a renewed focus on fossil fuels as a solution to the problems we face today needs a lesson in energy economics. What we need are sustainable proposals and this Government is responding to that challenge.

In the short term, recent increases to fuel allowances, including a one-off payment of €125 this month, the €200 energy credit and changes to entitlements and income thresholds, will help those in greatest need over the coming months. The Government will continue to assess this situation, as it always has done. In the medium term, the Government is working hard to deliver schemes that support home energy efficiency. I know it is a bit of a cliché to say that the cheapest energy is the energy we do not use but many of my fellow public representatives seem to be ignoring this. The national retrofit scheme, for example, provides for 80% grant aid towards some very simple measures to insulate homes while grants of up to 100% are available to those in receipt of fuel allowances. This is one simple step and something we all could and should do. Any public representative who is not championing these schemes is not serving his or her constituents. Perhaps it is easier to say that it will not work than to actually try it. In the long term, this Government knows there is a great need to ramp up the generation of renewable energy. This week, we gave the green light for some major offshore wind energy projects. With applications expected by the end of the year, the first turbines could be producing electricity in 2026.

Necessity is the mother of invention and this is a time for invention and for looking forward to innovation rather than backwards to business as usual. There are many more proactive ways to deal with this issue. If people are not sure where to start, I ask them to please give my office a call. It is past time for some of our public representatives to get their heads out of the peat and to start thinking about the generation that will come after us because that generation is well aware of the solutions to this crisis. I was recently contacted by a student from Oaklands Community College in Edenderry who had done a project on how the use of turf for home heating is perceived. His call to action was for the Government to raise awareness of the need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Turf plays a role in that. For the students in his school, this is a real crisis. They will be the ones to deal with the consequences. We must not unpick good environmental policy for short-term gain. Our generation owes it to the next generation to maintain forward momentum on climate action. One crisis cannot be used to add to another. I call on my fellow public representatives to pull forward together and think outside the bog.