Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is very good that we clarify that. I thank Senator Horkan for raising the question. We need to be very clear that the threshold for what constitutes an emergency is not changing from the working definition, which has been in place for more than 50 years. Second, we need to be clear this is a matter for Government decision rather than one to be decided on by the Minister on his own.

Senator McGahon talked about the need to insulate people from the cost-of-living crisis. It is great that he used the word, "insulate". The 27,000 families who were insulated this year. The 37,000 families who will receive insulation this year will appreciate that as well. We need to insulate our homes in order to isolate Putin. That is what we need to do. The Senator is absolutely right. That is the long-term fix.

Senator Higgins looked for more detail on the transfer of powers, asked whether too many powers are being transferred and asked in detail about some of those powers. I will be clear. We are talking about a transfer of powers from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to the Minister for Transport. As Senator Horkan pointed out, those two posts are held by the same person at present but will not be in future. A policy decision was made by Government to transfer the biofuels policy for transport from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to the Minister for Transport, because it is a transport policy, and, really, it is a follow-up from that. Part of the idea is that we do not want a situation where all of climate action is being decided by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, who does all the climate action in his or her own Ministry solely. Our climate action has to be a whole-of-government response. Every Ministry has to take responsibility for making sure that its actions and policies directly address the climate challenge. Thus, it makes sense that the Minister for Transport is responsible for actions that affect transport and climate.

I refer to some of the specific questions Senator Higgins has asked. One of her questions was with regard to the Climate Change Advisory Council, CCAC, not being consulted on the biofuels obligation, not being listed as being consulted or there being a statutory requirement to consult the CCAC. The question is as to whether that is appropriate. I need to consider what the remit of the CCAC is and whether it should be consulted. We can come back to that on Committee Stage.

This is an oil emergency Bill. It does not cover other fuels. Another of the questions Senator Higgins asked was as to whether we should have a renewables energy emergency Bill and be able to take control of the electricity - I am extrapolating here - from a wind or solar farm and whether that should be subject to the same kinds of restrictions and sent to those who need it most. That is a very interesting question. It is outside the scope of this Bill, which relates to oil, but I am happy to discuss the matter further. We can look at any proposals the Senator may have in that regard. The Senator can also talk to officials in the Department, but it is a fair question. The Senator also had further questions on oil emergency plans and who gets consulted on them. I will look into that, rather than give her a glib answer. I think that covers most of the questions I have been asked.

I remind Members that the purpose of this legislation is to strengthen the Government's ability to manage oil stocks in the unlikely event of a constraint on supplies, not in the event of an emergency. This is an important Bill. It puts key aspects of oil emergency planning on a statutory footing. The Bill will strengthen the statutory provisions available to Government to respond to a prolonged oil emergency and thereby ensure adequate supplies for the emergency and critical services, including for the use of oil to generate electricity, if necessary, in the event of a gas shortage.

The Bill places a statutory requirement on the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications to produce an oil emergency response plan. It provides for the establishment of an oil suppliers emergency register to ensure fast communication with oil companies in the event that the Minister has to make orders or issue directions in order to control the supply of oil. It also allows Revenue to share data on oil movements, which will help with emergency planning. The Bill provides more clarity around the powers of the Minister and how quickly they can be deployed to control the supply and distribution of fuel in an emergency. These provisions will significantly enhance the capacity for Government to respond very quickly in a major oil emergency to protect our critical services.

The Bill effectively transfers statutory functions relating to renewable transport fuels from the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, to the Minister for Transport. This is in line with the change in policy responsibility that took place in 2021. In addition, the Bill provides for the Minister for Transport to make regulations to effect an increase in the use of renewable transport fuels. This is in line with the renewable energy directive and climate policy.These provisions will further drive the use of renewable transport fuels, including through the introduction of the E10 petrol standard, and they will contribute to the State's climate goals.

I thank all the Senators for their co-operation and constructive comments. I look forward to Committee Stage, on which we can discuss these issues further.