Household bills are 70% above what they were in 2022 and the value of arrears has jumped by almost 50%, even with the electricity credits each winter. There are 300,000 people in arrears. The Government has said it does not want electricity credits to be the new normal but the rise in prices and the number of people in arrears are an emergency and not normal either. This demands an emergency response.

I thank the Deputy. I convey the apologies of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. He is at an EU Environment Council meeting on the 2040 environmental targets. We sought a swap but due to the Dáil resuming that was very difficult.

On the Deputy's question, the Government has made a number of important commitments in respect of addressing the continued high cost of energy. The programme for Government acknowledges the increased energy cost pressures on households and businesses and commits to bringing forward taxation measures to help contain energy costs. The Government approved an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity by a further six months to October 2025 at an estimated cost of €85 million with the net benefit to households from 1 May to 31 October being approximately €26.60 with respect to electricity and €20.28 with respect to gas. This is traditionally 13.5% but has been 9% since 2022 in response to the energy price crisis.

In June 2025, my Department established the national energy affordability task force to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability. A key output of this task force will be to develop an energy affordability action plan which will identify a comprehensive range of solutions, including demand-side solutions for households to allow them to adjust their energy demand and avail of low-cost renewable energy. Task force members are currently working to finalise the preparation of an interim report, which will set out measures for consideration as part of the budget 2026 process.

It is more than unfortunate the Minister is not here in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis to address the concerns of people who are really struggling in an emergency.

Over the summer households have been hit with a spate of emergency hikes from Energia, Flogas, Pinergy and SSE Airtricity. They have been told they can expect at least another €200 to be whacked onto their annual energy bills. In the first week back in the Dáil the Minister does not show to tell us what he is going to do about it. All we know is the supports that have been there over the last number of years are going to be ripped away despite Irish energy costs being the highest in Europe, at €500 above average and 70% above 2022 levels. When I asked the Minister via parliamentary question what impact he thought the withdrawal of energy credits would have, I was told it was not a matter for the Minister but for the CRU. I find it very hard to believe the impact of policy choices is not the responsibility of the Government, as outlined in the letter from the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, and that it has no duty to consider and analyse its efforts. The CRU might be surprised to hear about this.

We have as a Government delivered over €3.3 billion in credits to over 2.3 million households in recent times, but we need to be strategic with this upcoming budget. Once-off measures are certainly not a long-term fix. That is why, as I said earlier, we have established the national energy affordability task force which is preparing an interim report to inform budget 2026. We are also looking at structural reforms, not just short-term relief.

As I said earlier, we have extended the reduced VAT rate on energy to help households directly and we are very much focused on targeted sustainable measures, not just repeating the same approach. We are also investing record funding in energy upgrades that will permanently lower bills for many of those at most risk.

The Government could not have had a more targeted measure than the energy credits that we have had for the last number of years and people are facing the same if not higher energy prices now. The Government continues to blame everyone apart from itself for it. The costs are due to political choices about whose energy needs get prioritised, who pays and who is protected. However, the Government has chosen to prioritise the energy needs of data centres and the profits of energy companies rather than ordinary people who are trying to keep the lights on and stay warm. If we want to bring down energy prices in the long term, the market needs a radical overhaul. We need major reform of the status quo with new measures to hold the energy companies to account rather than the blatant profiteering that has been taking place. We also need a fair funding model for our grid and the renewable transition rather than the Government's regressive approach which makes households shoulder a disproportionate burden of the cost of the network charges and the PSO levy rather than placing the burden on the data centres, which are, relatively speaking, let off the hook. It is possible to change this and I ask the Government to reconsider and redress the unjust burden placed on small businesses and households.

In the context of what we are discussing, the reality is that Ireland operates in a liberalised EU energy market where prices are set commercially, not by governments. That said, we are not passive observers in this regard. The CRU has statutory powers to oversee suppliers' conduct. We have recently strengthened its protections for consumers this winter. On profits, I accept that energy companies have posted strong returns recently but it is worth noting that ESB profits are being reinvested into infrastructure and renewables. We need to ensure that we continue to invest in our grid and that we have security of supply. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has written to many of the suppliers directly and has scheduled meetings to push for stronger supports for many householders feeling the burden of increased prices.

My question relates to proposals under the recent trade agreement between the EU and the Trump Administration. The ridiculous tariffs got the headlines, but under this agreement the EU has further bent the knee to "king" Trump and agreed to massively increase the level of fossil fuels being purchased from the United States - €750 billion worth. There have also been reports of US officials, including its energy secretary, Chris Wright, engaging in extensive lobbying with EU member states on this matter, seeking the loosening of environmental protections. Has the Minister of State or his Department been lobbied on these issues by US officials or by officials from within the EU or other member states?

I appreciate the Deputy's question. Ireland engages with the US across a broad range of multilateral energy forums, from the United Nations and the G20, where Ireland is a guest country under the current South African Presidency, to the IEA and IRENA. While respecting different policy emphases regarding, for example, energy mix and the role of renewables in particular, we also enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship with United States colleagues on issues related to energy and beyond.

In relation to gas specifically, my Department has had regular engagements on the topic of gas security of supply with various European and international ministries and embassies, including the US Embassy, where our officials discussed the development of a State-led strategic gas emergency reserve, in the form of a floating storage and regasification unit to secure and protect Ireland’s energy systems from the consequences of any disruption to our subsea gas pipelines. This proactive intervention, once developed, will ensure that Ireland's largest commercial entities that rely on gas for production of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, IT, manufacturing, food and beverages will not experience a disruption to their energy supplies if damage to gas subsea pipelines occurs. The strategic reserve facility will be State-owned and the contract for replenishing with LNG will be through open-market procurement.

There has been no request from, nor promise given to, the US with regard to a diminution of Ireland's application of EU standards with regard to, for example, environmental assessment of infrastructural projects. Nor has Ireland agreed to increase the amount of oil imported from the US. In fact, our overall reliance on oil is decreasing in line with our climate ambitions.

Around 80% of Ireland’s gas supply comes from two interconnector pipelines from the UK, a well-diversified source, and the remaining 20% of natural gas is supplied from the Corrib gas field, off the coast of Mayo. Ireland currently has no other gas supply or entry points.

In relation to energy infrastructure delivery more generally, over the last five years Ireland, along with other EU member states, has looked to support the acceleration of planning for, and delivery of, energy installations through legislation introduced to modernise both the terrestrial planning system and marine planning system. However, Ireland’s environmental assessment process has not been diluted and remains a robust process, and nor has there been a reduction in our ambitious climate goals and objectives.

The Minister of State will be aware of our concerns on this side of the House with the Government's plans to overturn the previous Government's ban on the importation of fracked gas to facilitate the State-led strategic LNG reserve. I am sure the Minister of State is aware of the implications this will have for Shannon LNG and other commercial operators. It is opening the door, inadvertently or otherwise, to massive commercial importation of fracked gas. The Minister of State can make all the claims he wants about commitment to climate action, but importing this highly polluting fossil fuel at this time in our climate struggle and building new fossil fuel infrastructure really calls that commitment in question. I am glad to hear that the Government has not made any new commitments, but what are we going to do in other areas to make up for the inevitable increase in emissions from recent decisions the Government has made, including now the importation of fracked gas? What will we do in other areas to mitigate that?

The Government's intention on the installation of a facility like the floating LNG facility that is proposed is that it is being led by the State rather than a commercial entity. It is being done in a controlled manner that will, as I outlined in the earlier answer, allow us to protect a critical supply in the event of anything happening to the two interconnectors or indeed the subsea pipeline which connects the Corrib field. It is a protection system and will not increase the usage of gas. Those of us who believe in the transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner and renewable energy still recognise that gas will be that transition fuel for quite some time, recognising that the wind does not blow all the time and the sun does not shine all the time.

Last Friday, I launched the Government's next wave of offshore wind energy proposals. We are starting the process of developing a designated marine plan around our coastline which will identify sites suitable for fixed-bottom and floating wind generation. That is our direction of travel and we are committed to that. As the Deputy knows, by 2030 we intend to have another 5 GW of electricity in construction and by 2040 an additional 15 GW. We are absolutely committed to renewables but we must accept that we must have protections in the event of anything happening to the supplies of gas that are already there.

I accept and understand the energy security concerns here. However, the point I am making is that overturning this ban on the importation of fracked gas has opened the door not just to a State-led facility but to commercial exploitation and importation of fracked gas, using the same rules that the State is using to allow it. That is the problem. While the State facility may not be the most damaging way of going about things, it seems the commercial importation of fracked gas will now happen and An Coimisiún Pleanála is adjudicating on that at the moment. That is the huge problem here. Whether it is inadvertent or otherwise, the Government's decision here is potentially opening the door to massive importation of gas and increased gas use at a time when we are trying to avoid that. That is our problem here. There is a backsliding here on our climate commitments. We are asking the Government to stand up for our climate, to find other ways and to have red lines. The Minister of State needs to say to his Department, "We know there are energy security concerns, but find another way with no more fossil fuel infrastructure."

In addition to our support for the renewable energy sector, particularly with wind and solar, we are also enhancing our support for biogas. The Deputy will know that the Government has a strategy on that. We will see seven or eight projects in the very near future coming into play for that biogas system through the anaerobic digestion system.

We are absolutely committed to eliminating, insofar and as quickly as we possibly can, the dependence on fossil fuels to power our economy, while also recognising that our economy is growing with significant demands. We want to move away from using gas to generate electricity. We want to capture more of the renewable energy off our shoreline and utilise biogas as an appropriate means to further displace the importation of fossil fuels.

Officials warned that the Government’s approach to data centres is posing a threat to housing targets and driving up our energy costs. Does the Government plan to continue to bury its head in the sand or is it going to tackle this head on? I am not sure which Minister of State is going to take this question, but if it is the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, I was listening to him on Radio Kerry last week when he was talking about marine planning. He criticised the Government, saying it needed to move away from navel-gazing and that it had sat on its laurels. Is the Government sitting on its laurels on this issue also, or is it actually going to do something about it?

The programme for Government sets out a clear policy direction that balances energy, housing, climate and economic development. It recognises that increased and unprecedented investment in our electricity grid and generation capacity is essential to meet future demand, not just for data centres but for housing, electric vehicles, heat pumps and a growing population. The electricity and gas retail market in Ireland operates under a European regulatory regime. Prices are set by suppliers as entirely commercial and operational matters. However, the CRU has statutory responsibility for consumer protection. It is currently reviewing investment proposals under price review 6, PR6. Under PR6, the CRU has proposed a record €18 billion investment in the grid between 2026 and 2030, with €14.1 billion guaranteed. The Government is underpinning this with €3.5 billion in equity support for EirGrid and ESB Networks. This represents a step change in infrastructure delivery, ensuring our grid can support both economic growth and housing delivery.

While already contracted data centres will be accommodated in the near term, the Government has committed to developing a plan-led approach for future large energy users. This will align with our decarbonisation objectives, supporting Ireland’s knowledge-led economy and providing certainty for the sector.

Let me be clear, data centres are a core enabler of our technology-rich innovation economy. Ireland has successfully attracted global leaders in this space. This must be balanced with the needs of communities, housing developments and energy affordability. That is why system operators assess future demands, including housing targets, population growth and climate goals, and the Government is scaling up investment in critical infrastructure to ensure that all customers benefit and that Ireland’s energy system remains secure, affordable and fit for purpose.

The large energy users the Minister of State is talking about are relatively getting off the hook and they are pushing up household bills. In a confidential memo recently released to us under a freedom of information request, the Secretary General of the Department of public expenditure warned that soaring electricity demand, largely attributable to data centres, is forcing the State to spend heavily on new power generation and grid upgrades. As the grid is paid for through network charges, this is inevitably leading to surging household bills.

A single data centre can use as much as electricity as the whole city of Kilkenny. The memo also pointed out that data centres were a risk to energy security, to the extent that there is need to “direct Government intervention in the electricity market to purchase generation capacity on an emergency, non-market basis”. All of this is going to have to be paid by the taxpayer through electricity bills, leading to a disproportionate and unfair burden on households. Not only is this unstainable, it is also regressive. Price review 6, as the Minister of State mentioned, represents the perfect opportunity to right this wrong, but the draft decision, unfortunately, seems to extend it further. Will the Minister of State commit to doing something about it to alleviate the burden?

Let us be clear that households are not subsidising data centres. All users of our electricity grid contribute to its development. The CRU, as the independent regulator, ensures costs are fairly and proportionally allocated. In fact, extra large energy users, including data centres, have seen network costs increase in recent years compared with those for domestic customers. Price review 6 is a great opportunity. Transmission costs for data centres are expected to stabilise and reduce, reflecting the reversal of recent increases linked to security of supply. It is important to have that balance, as I said earlier. Housing is the Government’s number one priority. That is reflected in the national development plan where we have allocated more than €35 billion over the next decade to housing, while also understanding the need for other key infrastructure, such as energy and water infrastructure. That is why the national development plan has been published and is very much focused around programme for Government commitments.

Why then is the Secretary General of the Department saying what is being said and that housing is being threatened by the larger users of electricity? The current proposal in price review 6 is to increase network charges for households. Presumably, the Minister of State does not disagree with that. At the same time, the proposal is to decrease charges relatively for data centres. This is unjustifiable. The excuse used by a lot of the energy providers, such as Energia, is that their network charges are rising.

Small businesses are complaining that it is the same. Data centres are the ones driving up energy demand and gobbling up all the new capacity on the grid, but they have consistently not been paying their fair share. I agree with the Minister of State that there is a need for data centres but let them pay their fair share. Their bills have been subsidised for years by small and medium enterprises and households as part of the large energy user subvention. We in Sinn Féin believe that the determination of price review 6 in December must reflect these facts and right these historical wrongs.

I thank the Deputy. First, the Secretary General of our Department rightly pointed out that policy choices must be made, and we are making them. Certainly, that is why we are investing in housing, the grid and water infrastructure. These are the three pillars that will support sustainable development in this country. The idea that data centres are being prioritised over homes is not supported by facts. That will not happen under price review 6. We are investing in the grid like never before, not just to connect more homes but to ensure we can distribute the renewable energy we are generating across the country and provide homes, businesses and communities with more green renewable energy. The CRU is independent. This review includes a medium-term outlook in terms of balancing housing and climate targets. It is about how we can ensure houses are delivered and our economic development is not staggered.

The issue I am raising with the Ministers of State relates to the distribution of the just transition funding that came from the European Union and the €16 million that came from the State. I have concerns in this regard. It is supposed to be for the former peat harvesting areas. Under EU funding, they are designated as coal regions. The State made the case successfully for funding for the former peat harvesting areas, like the midlands, that are affected. County Laois is one of those areas. I am delighted that there are two Ministers of State in the Chamber to address this because I have questions around it.

I thank Deputy Stanley. From previous Oireachtas terms, I know he has shown a great interest in this particular area and championed it over that time. In total, more than €29.2 million under the EU just transition fund has been allocated to projects that are fully or partially based in County Laois. Of this, almost €3.6 million has been approved for projects under way solely within County Laois, while more than €25.6 million has been approved for projects across several counties, including County Laois. I will provide the Deputy with the full breakdown of these allocations in tabular form, including details of the recipients, projects and amount of support allocated. That information will be provided to the Deputy in that format afterwards.

The diverse range of projects being supported include Emo Court and Estate development, sustainable tourist accommodation in The Forum in Mountmellick, the development of Canal Road Business Park in Portarlington and the Poet's Cottage Community Café in Camross.

All information on projects under the EU just transition fund is publicly available on the beneficiaries section of the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly website, the managing authority for the fund. We will provide the details to the Deputy in tabular form afterwards.

The national just transition fund closed in December 2024 and disseminated no funds over the course of 2025. The Minister keeps the operation of the fund under review, including consideration of future calls.

I have a record of the projects that got funding. My concern is that the worst affected areas did not get funding. It was not targeted at them.

Money was allocated by Laois County Council for tourism, which is good, for example to Emo Court. It is located in the middle of the county. I also welcome funding for The Forum in Mountmellick. It is good news that the Junction 17 business park was allocated €1 million. The Poet's Cottage Community Cafe in Camross also benefited, as well as the business park in Portarlington, which was allocated €1 million. That is all good. However, some of the funding went to derelict pubs in areas with no connection to Bord na Móna workers. I am talking about towns like Mountrath, Mountmellick and Borris-in-Ossory. One project was funded in Mountmellick, but no funding has gone into projects in Borris-in-Ossory or the Abbeyleix area. Former Bord na Móna workers and families are asking me where the benefit is from the total funding of €185 million. That is the question being asked of me as a public representative and I do not have a good answer for them.

I have an extensive list, which I can share with the Deputy. If there is a necessity to meet with some of his constituents about their concerns, I am happy to meet with them. This was a call-led approach, so it was dependent on projects being brought forward to seek funding. It was not as if the Government identified specific locations and sought to create a demand around that. The programme was in place and the calls went out for applications for funding, which were assessed against the criteria during the process. If the Deputy has concerns about specific areas, we will be happy to meet with him and attempt to work through them.

I thank the Minister of State. My concern is that of the total available fund of €185 million, a reply to a previous parliamentary question shows that approximately €93 million has been spent. The reply to the question was received about a month ago. We are about 50% of the way through the funding. The feeling I get from people who have been showing an interest in the fund is that it is being rushed a bit. If we are halfway through spending the money, which is a lot of money, we must be careful about where the remaining €92 million or so is spent. I ask the Minister of State to take an interest in the matter. If need be, we should slow down the process. Perhaps there are deadlines from the EU that have to be met. If that is the case, perhaps the Minister of State would clarify that, but if that is not the case then we should pause the process, take it easy and make sure that the money goes to good projects.

In particular, I want to highlight that, according to the reply to the parliamentary question, only €3.6 million has gone to specific projects in County Laois out of €185 million. That is a very small amount for a county that was badly affected. I refer to towns like Mountrath, Mountmellick and Borris-in-Ossory and the Abbeyleix area where there are a lot of former Bord na Móna workers. I worked with a lot of them. Mountrath was very badly hit.

In fairness to the Deputy, he has always made those points. I appreciate his interest in this matter. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, launched a public consultation on the development of Ireland's social climate plan last Thursday. The plan will set out measures to be financed under the EU Social Climate Fund over the period 2026 to 2032. The EU Social Climate Fund is the first EU fund developed with the explicit purpose of alleviating potential energy and transport poverty occurring from the transition towards clean mobility and decarbonised built environment. There may be some opportunities arising from that fund for the Deputy to focus on. We are trying to ensure that the funds that are available meet the needs of those who were impacted to the greatest extent as a result of moving away from the harvesting of peat in the region. The Deputy has identified some areas. It is in the interests of the Government to work with those communities that are most affected to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible. That is a big statement, because no matter what was done, there was going to be a significant impact on those communities.

I thank the Minister of State.

I recognise the efforts many communities have made to try to assist. Deputy Stanley should please share with us if there are other viable projects or assistance is required.

My question is about the deposit return scheme, DRS. What percentage of plastics and cans that are collected via the scheme are processed here and what percentage are processed abroad?

I thank the Deputy for the question. The deposit return scheme was introduced in February 2024 to encourage higher recycling rates for plastic bottles and cans and to help Ireland meet its EU recycling targets.

Since becoming fully operational in June 2024, the scheme has delivered strong results. According to Re-turn, the scheme operator, Ireland achieved a 66% collection rate in 2024, which has since increased to 76%, based on rolling averages in early 2025. This puts us firmly on track to meet our EU target of 77% by the end of the year.

Under the single-use plastics directive, producers must use 25% recycled content in PET bottles by 2025, increasing to 30% by 2030. The DRS is critical in supplying the high-quality recyclate that is needed to meet the targets.

While the collection and recycling of containers returned is an operational matter for Re-turn, I can confirm that all material collected is first processed at its contracted facility in Limerick. From there, it is sent to licensed facilities in Ireland, the UK or Europe for final recycling. In 2024, 34% of PET collected was recycled in Ireland, with the remaining 66% exported, primarily to the UK and the EU. This reflects current market capacity and the need for specialised facilities to handle high-grade recyclate. Importantly, one of the long-term benefits of the DRS is the potential to establish Ireland's first bottle-to-bottle recycling plant. This would allow us to retain the economic value of this material, reduce reliance on exports and further strengthen our circular economy.

It is very important that this was sold as an environmental measure. It is clear that a significant volume of material is leaving the country. Does the Minister of State have an assessment of the emissions in that regard? What work is he undertaking to ensure we have the capacity and facilities available in this country?

The reality is that Ireland currently does not have a facility capable of fully recycling PET bottles into new food-safe drinks containers. Some operators do look at the processing of PET into flakes. That said, the DRS has created a consistent stream of high-quality recyclate. Re-turn is actively exploring the viability of establishing Ireland's first bottle-to-bottle recycling plant. Building a stable supply chain is a direct dividend of the scheme. There is a strong strategic opportunity here also, both economically and environmentally, to ensure that such a plant is established in Ireland.

I agree that such a plant should be established but the introduction of the plant should have happened in advance of the scheme. There is a great deal of inconvenience involved. A significant amount of money is going to a private company, which gives rise to a number of questions that I hope we will soon address. It is very important that a bottle-to-bottle recycling plant be set up. Does the Minister of State have a timeline for when the facility will be made available and be able to process the material in this country?

The Deputy should bear in mind that the current technical capacity was not in place previously. The scheme was only introduced in June 2024.

The company had to establish a supply chain to strategically invest in a facility of this type. Thanks to the DRS, we now have a supply chain and market conditions that are favourable and make economic sense to establish a facility like this. We are all in agreement that we need develop it, but this was not a policy failure. The initiation of the scheme has provided huge benefits, and we know that from many litter studies around the country. Indeed, there is a current supply chain where 33% of all PET is recycled in Ireland currently. We have to look at how we can keep the remainder on the island and ensure it goes back into a more circular system bottle to bottle.