Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Again, we are hearing that there is no inconsistency with what we are trying to achieve and what the Government says it wants to achieve but there is an urgency here. There is no inconsistency with what the EU gas package, for which we must wait, wants to achieve and yet, while we dither and dawdle about restricting the connection of data centres to the gas grid, more and more of them are connecting to it. More and more data centres connecting to the gas grid not only puts our carbon emissions targets in jeopardy, it also threatens our gas supply, makes gas more expensive and increases the costs for households. I do not understand how the Minister of State can say that we all want to do the same thing, but just not now. If not now, when? This is the opportunity to do it. This is the Gas (Amendment) Bill. We should be amending it and acting on what the Minister of State's own Department, the Climate Change Advisory Council, civic society and the Opposition have said. There is no inconsistency here; we all want the same thing so why would the Minister of State not accept amendments aimed at achieving that rather than waiting around for the EU gas package?