Timmy Dooley

Nobody wants to rule out the discussion but from a Government perspective, for us right now, it is about action and about meeting our targets on the demand for energy. Our efforts are concentrated on capturing wind to bring the electrons ashore. Of course, we take electricity from France that has its source in nuclear energy. Nobody has a problem with that. The French have a lot of expertise in th…

Absolutely. While the debate and discussion are somewhat academic at the moment, it is appropriate that we are looking that far ahead because we do not want to find ourselves in the situation that we currently do - reaching a point where there are constraints on our grid. The lesson we have learned from that is that we now have to get the generation piece right. I really believe in what we are doi…

I thank the Deputy. His sense of humour, as always, is timely and appreciated.

We can all be renewed. The two questions were separate but we have the opportunity to follow one with the other. It is very clear that other countries have a considerable advancement in relation to the use of nuclear energy as a method of driving their economic activity and producing electricity. They have been doing it for decades and have made certain advances in that area. We have not been in …

I agree. From a departmental perspective, we are not losing focus. We are absolutely targeting this. We are looking at interconnection as well. As the Deputy knows - the North-South interconnector is kind of in his area as well - we will have the Celtic interconnector. We want to build a more complex grid right across the European Union, which will help to balance the load, the demand and the gene…

I am in broad agreement with the Deputy, but I am a big supporter of data centres. They are like the advanced factories that were there in the seventies.

In fact, I read a report recently which suggested that the use of data centres will reduce the use of electricity-----

-----rather than having racks in isolated locations all over the place. You commingle and co-share a resource and, ultimately, you reduce the amount of electricity used. We have to be in control of our own data because there are other energy-rich countries that would be delighted to have the opportunity to store European data. If we do not get our act together, somebody will steal our clothes and …

I know Deputy Byrne is taking this for Deputy Ardagh. As he may be aware, the Department and the Minister do not have a role in respect of the delivery of the offshore electricity grid. That is handled by EirGrid as the transmission system operator. I will endeavour, on Deputies Byrne and Ardagh's behalf, to ask EirGrid to communicate with both of them in relation to the projects and where they ar…

In reality, none of us is happy that there are potential delays. From a departmental perspective and from the Minister's perspective, we are very clear on the importance of getting it done. What I am saying to the Deputy is that EirGrid is independent of the Government. It is established in that way as a TSO and it is responsible through the CRU, which has the potential to be brought before the co…

I hope the Deputy does not think I am being evasive but I am just providing him with the information I have. I am aware that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, meets with EirGrid monthly. He seeks to get an update on projects and he is very anxious that in all those instances he communicates to EirGrid the Government's priorities in this regard, and the Government's priorities have not changed. We are …

Plug-in solar systems are very small PV energy systems, usually two or three modules, and less than 1 kW in total per installation. They are connected to a micro-inverter and plugged directly into the normal household socket. This then feeds the house's internal electricity system. These low-cost panels can be put on balconies and outdoor spaces. The use of plug-in mini-solar technology has grown …

I thank the Deputy very much. He is right. Both he and Deputy Heneghan have continued to raise this matter. The Department is actively engaged on it. It is not good enough to just continue to say there are potential safety issues. We have got to address them, recognising that others have found methods to address those safety concerns. As I have said, we are engaged with our UK counterparts and we …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am very pleased to introduce the Air Pollution (Amendment) Bill 2025 to the House. The Bill completed its passage through the Seanad with some constructive engagement. At its heart, this Bill is about safeguarding public health, protecting our environment and ensuring that Ireland's air quality remains among the best in Europe. However, notwith…

I thank Deputies McGuinness and Cullinane for raising this issue. The farmers to whom they refer have been farming on the area in question for generations, indeed some of the families involved have had hundreds of years of continuous farming in the same area. However, I am informed by the Department that the land in question is, as the Deputies identified, owned by a third party. Regardless of how…

I am aware of this issue, obviously, but I am also conscious of the constitutional rights of property owners. Deputy Cullinane says that there is often a grey area and this is black and white. Emotionally, it is black and white. For any of us and for any member of society, the picture that the Deputies paint is black and white in terms of what should transpire, but from a departmental perspective …

I thank the Deputies for raising very important issues and matters. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the pressures that households are facing as a result of high energy costs. It is important to say that the Government remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East, including the Gulf. Ireland has a long track record of support for international law and the UN and we continue t…

Those threatening-----

Before you saw the package.

What a major revelation.

I welcome the opportunity to address the House. I was born on a small farm in east Clare. I know the struggles of my community. I know what it is like for farmers, particularly those with small farms, who have to provide for their families. That has not changed since the time I was going to school. I live among my people. I believe nobody in this House has a monopoly on empathy and nobody has a …

Ah, will you stop.

Good man, Richard. The people of Ireland have a great representative.

I appreciate the contributions of all who spoke in the debate today, some down standard political lines, but others fully understanding and cognisant of where the Irish economy and the various sectors are at. They are really negatively impacted by the massive disruption to the supply of oil from the Middle East to the Irish economy. At the outset, I thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for his comments. …

I accept that. The reality is that the carbon tax funds significant investment in reducing aspects of our economic dependence on fossil fuels. Some Deputies talked about a weakness in the SEAI grants scheme. We have brought forward simplification measures, which I am sure we will get to in due course. We are bringing in a grant scheme for windows and doors to help people to upgrade the energy eff…