Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 8, line 7, after “Heritage” to insert “, Minister for Finance”.

This amendment seeks to amend section 9(2) by including a provision that the Minister for Finance may not be appointed by the Government as the majority-shareholding Minister of Gas Networks Ireland. Currently the subsection provides it may not be the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications; or the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform.

The rationale for the amendment is we are concerned that by allowing the possibility for the Minister for Finance to become the majority-shareholding Minister, there could be a situation whereby a profit or narrowly economic motive is the sole expectation placed upon Gas Networks Ireland. I will come to this more broadly in the amendment that relates to the shareholder letter of expectation. I have serious concerns in this respect, particularly given the comments made by Gas Networks Ireland which seem to contradict the climate Act and our carbon emissions targets.

Amendment No. 2 would require that the order nominating a majority-shareholding Minister in Gas Networks Ireland would require approval by both Houses of the Oireachtas. I will elaborate further when discussing amendment No. 3, which concerns the majority-shareholding Minister. We have concerns that if the Minister for Finance is involved, there might be some contradiction.