Michael McDowell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I listened to the contribution made by Senator Mullen and I saw a lot of common sense in what he said. I do not think he wanted to be pessimistic but realistic about where we are. It is becoming clear we will struggle significantly to comply with the 2030 carbon reduction targets. That is not a happy situation because once a public perception develops that the targets are not achievable, we are into a very fluid situation where people will ask why they should bother, if the ultimate target to be achieved by the whole community is unlikely to be achieved.

I will say a couple of things about our general resources. Quite clearly, the Minister will be aware that we now need a very significant investment in the State's electricity transmission system, especially if the plan is to electrify transport on an increasing basis in the future. If we are to reconcile data centres with our reduction on electricity dependence and, at the same time, transfer carbon-based transport to electric-powered transport, a number of things will have to be balanced. At this stage, I am not sure that I see a coherent plan for all of this. The Minister is committed to producing a plan later in the year on many of these matters. I would like to see how it all adds up.

The best part of five years ago, I remember querying how we could reconcile - the Minister and I were sitting at a committee - what the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was telling us about electricity demand and supply with the programme for building data centres. At the time, I got the flannel treatment of vague nonsense of a reassuring kind from the Department and the SEAI. It was clear to me then that there were two irreconcilable vectors at the centre of public policy. One Department was promoting data centres while another State body that had responsibility for reconciling our climate change targets with what was happening on the ground was apparently staying schtum on that issue.

I have a funny feeling that many different factors are now at work, which are again irreconcilable, for instance, in respect of the building industry at present. Anybody who talks to a builder will say he or she cannot even enter into a contract at present because fixed-price contracts mean nothing any more. I talked to a small builder in the west recently who said he just cannot quote for projects any more. That is one issue. There are real problems with inputs into building homes. There are then ambitious targets to retrofit homes and for some forms of infrastructure. Is the construction industry capable of delivering all these targets?

We talk about climate budgets but is there a great master plan? Is there in fact a spreadsheet at the heart of Government where all the conflicting demands, such as taxation and the end of hydrocarbon taxation and all the rest of it, are being worked out? Is somebody saying this is the plan, it all works out, it will all happen, we will have the alternative energy supplies and building of homes to deal with the housing crisis and, at the same time, we will build infrastructure, retrofit houses and the building and construction industry will be able to do all these things? Is it all thought through? The Minister can see and articulate some of the problems but is the whole of government actually being realistic with itself? Are we just hoping we will be able to achieve targets and deal with things such as the homelessness crisis, or are we actually planning to do so at an all-of-government level? I very much doubt it. I feel apprehensive that there is a gap between aspiration and achievement.