There has been quite a bit of media coverage around the NBP in recent months, particularly before Christmas. It has mainly focused on missed targets, on how very little of the investors’ own money has gone into the NBP, on how it is funded, on the complicated corporate structure and so on. The big takeaway was about the expectation that €175 million in equity was to be put in by those who won the tender. We were told that this had been promised. The expectation was that this equity would be put in but in fact, ther…

I thank Deputy Nash for bringing forward this motion, which we support. Some of us have a living memory of significant inflationary pressures. I remember the impact on the country and quality of life during the 1970s and 1980s. It started with the oil crisis in 1973, when prices quadrupled. There was an immediate reduction in the living standards of people. By 1975, inflation had risen to 21%. It reduced over the following years but there was a rise again thereafter and, by 1981, it was back to 20.3%. By 1985, it h…

We know we are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. We know that inflation has surged by 5.5% and stands at a 21-year high. Families are struggling with basic necessities. It is getting more difficult for a very large number of people to put food on the table and at the same time heat their homes. An increasing number of households can no longer afford to do both. Every facet of daily life has been impacted. There have been huge increases in food, transport and energy costs. We know that accommodation is a big…

I accept that some of this is generated from outside the State, particularly in respect of energy. Let us look at how Ireland was doing before this inflationary pressure kicked in. The cost of living in Ireland was 36% above the EU average. Our cost of housing is the highest in Europe. The cost of goods and services in Ireland is the second highest in Europe. Our fuel costs are the fourth highest. We are therefore not on a par with other countries in how this is having an impact. When inflation is added in, what is…

It should be progressive rather than regressive.

This question relates to requiring adequate feedback options. Two BusConnects spines have been rolled out to date and one of them is in my area. If we are going to anticipate the problems that are emerging, we have to pick up the feedback from people where this is being rolled out. I do not believe what is being done at the moment is enough. A Dublin Bus telephone number has been given but it is a general number, and there is then a BusConnects number that is permanently engaged. It is part of the public feedback b…

I am an advocate for public transport and improved services and I have been for as long as I have been involved in politics. There is no doubt some of the new services are working well. I can only look at the spine that I can see directly. There is no doubt some of it is working well but some of it is not working well at all. Some of the buses do not connect in terms of timetables. I can see double-decker feeder buses with practically nobody on them from 4:30 a.m. and every half an hour until 11:30 p.m. It looks li…

All of those are very important initiatives. I welcome that there will be an ongoing look at this and possibilities for feedback. I also received the brochure the Minister of State talked about. I rang the numbers on many occasions, I have left feedback and I have left my mobile number. I asked for a phone call back to me last week and have not got it yet. If we do not pick up the complaints or the problems at this stage, how are we going to address them? I heard there were very few complaints about the first spine…

The debate is about the appointment of the new chairperson of GSOC. Like Deputy Howlin, I do not know Judge Rory MacCabe but wish him well in his new role. There is a lot of work to be done to realise the full potential of GSOC. Indeed, we will be talking about some changes in the new year. GSOC was not resourced properly from the get-go. We repeatedly hear that. GSOC does not have the resources to investigate all the complaints it receives and to do so in a timely way. That has repeatedly been brought to our atten…

I sought time for a debate on National Broadband Ireland. Both The Currency and the Business Post have published very useful articles showing the opaque nature and the level of investment by the principals that would be a cause of concern for the stability of this important project. Last Sunday the Business Post reported that a review was to happen but it appears to have concluded at this stage. It is essential that we do our job in holding the Government to account. This is a very expensive project. It is importan…

It is not specifically to deal with the issue.

My question relates to the volatility and increases in energy costs for the commercial sector. We know that in the domestic sector, people can switch suppliers. My understanding is that some companies are not issuing new contracts, so there is very little competition. I wrote to the Tánaiste by email on 23 November and to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, citing an example of that in my own constituency. I am asking what the Tánaiste's Department can do on this issue.

I sent the Tánaiste the details from the constituent who was in contact with me who employs 120 people. I completely accept there is an international issue. I hope it will be short term. There is a lack of competition whereby there is no possibility of being able to negotiate with a provider. Domestic customers can switch but not enough of them do. This competitive side is problematic. This particular enterprise was paying 6 cent a unit and is now paying 25 cent a unit. It may well compromise future contracts for t…

I do not disagree with the Tánaiste on this. The reason I sent the email, and I will resend it for ease of access, is because it is probably one of many examples. If there is an issue with energy companies refusing to compete, even in a very volatile environment, it needs to be specifically addressed. When replying to a previous question the Tánaiste spoke about the number of people in employment and this is great. We also want to retain jobs and we want companies to be able to compete for other work. This particul…

I agree with the Taoiseach on the importance of people getting the booster. I received mine about ten days ago. In the same week it was announced walk-ins would be accommodated. People in the queue I was in at Citywest were being told only people with appointments would receive a booster. The wait that day was about three and a half hours. The following day it was five hours. Cork City Hall and Croke Park were also reporting long queues. It is, therefore, understandable people would make appointments with their pha…

Many members of the public felt blamed yesterday, even though it was not their fault. There is a system failure. The Taoiseach needs to find ways of fixing that system so that we are not duplicating, being wasteful and people are not queueing longer than they need to, which is one of the reasons they might be put off in the winter and will make alternative arrangements. The Taoiseach needs to give us an assurance about those systems because there is a problem there. The HSE has acknowledged that. I know we cannot b…

I will try to be brief. The point I want to make is about this debate and about scrutiny. There was a vote on waiving pre-legislative scrutiny. The Taoiseach told us this morning that it would take too long and the Minister went through what would be required to scrutinise every regulation. Where is the oversight? Where is Report Stage? We have 20 amendments. At best we will get to four of them. This debate is being guillotined. To be fair to the previous Government, because the House was in control of its agenda n…

There is no doubt that the exchange of passenger data is critically important to the UK, to Ireland and to the wider EU law enforcement communities. So far, the exchange of data has been largely unaffected by Brexit, which was a significant win for the UK. As a third country, the UK must be held to higher standards than it was previously. In this case, the EU has ruled that the UK data protection system is in line with the GDPR and that the exchange of this kind of data can go ahead. However, we are aware of the rh…

When the country first shut down last March in an attempt to flatten the curve of infections, we knew absolutely nothing about this virus. We did not know how it was spread or how quickly it was transmitted. Everyone in this House was on board when, shortly after, we were asked to pass emergency legislation. It was a global emergency and we all understood speed was of the essence. Human rights organisations flagged the importance of balancing public health measures and the rule of law with human rights. We went ahe…

We are all braced to see if the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, recommend further restrictions later today to suppress Covid. Media reports suggest that the level of socialising during the Christmas period could be the target of that advice. We are told this could extend to new limits on the numbers allowed in hospitality settings, reduced booking sizes and even reduced opening hours. This amounts to death by a thousand cuts for the hospitality and entertainment sectors. The late night sector has alre…