I ask about energy security. As we head into winter 2023, were there discussions on gas storage capacity? This was a huge issue in the run-in to last winter and had a huge impact on prices. Notwithstanding what the Taoiseach said about the move to renewables, this winter gas will be important for us. I ask also about energy market reform to decouple the price of gas from the price of electricity.

In the 26 days since 26 May, people in Ratoath have been without water or on water restrictions for 13 days because of at least three separate water bursts. This has caused great disruption for households and businesses. Businesses have been forced to close or to restrict their capacity. Instead of needing 20 staff, one business needed just six. There is an investment plan on two separate levels but the frequency of outages is very frustrating for people. The lack of communication is even more frustrating. Will the…

I want to ask the Minister the action he is taking to ensure savings on the wholesale price of electricity are passed on to customers, the reason savings have not been passed on to date, the dates on which he has met energy providers to address this and if he will make a statement on the matter.

It is clear the Government has not done enough to protect workers, families or businesses from the high cost of electricity and energy. Wholesale prices have reduced by 57% since last March, but bills increased by 63% in that time and have not reduced since. We have seen the impact of energy costs on businesses. In my county, Meath, Tara Mines issued devastating news for 650 workers earlier this week. Can the Minister tell me what the Government is doing to reduce the energy burden on Tara Mines and other businesse…

We see the profits being made by energy companies and the delays time and again in terms of windfall taxes or outright opposition to electricity price caps, and the fact that businesses, workers and families are put to the pin of their collars. Will the Minister meet SIPTU early next week, as it has requested? He has failed to respond to repeated requests. That is a failing on behalf of him and the Government to do everything possible in this case. Separately, there are reports the Government is looking at a specif…

My question is to ask the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will provide an update on the Government’s energy security review and, separately the review by Mr. Dermot McCarthy; when he expects both to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

There has been a lot of movement in the meantime since the publication of the initial document about the energy security review. There has been jockeying, I think, and public arguments, and some of it represents some of the Minister's own comments at different stages. There are those who have argued for liquefied natural gas, LNG, infrastructure, for example. Does the Minister have a comment regarding that? Similarly, it is welcome that the ESB is looking at Kinsale gas field for potential gas storage. What criteri…

I thank the Minister for that. It is important to look at the Dermot McCarthy review. What went wrong with the T-4 auction? Are there lessons to be learned to ensure that when capacity is procured, it is delivered? The Minister said that he has the report and that it will be published in line with the energy security review. Is it the case that there will be proposed changes to our auction system, to the capacity or role of the Commission for Regulation of Utilities or to other relevant authorities in terms of the …

What, if any, assessments have been made by the Government regarding the best way to implement a windfall tax to capture excess revenues in the energy sector in the year 2022? Will the Minister make a statement on that matter?

I will specifically ask about two things. With regard to the temporary solidarity contribution and the cap on market revenues, is the Government now committing to using all of the money collected from the windfall tax to protect people who are at risk of fuel and energy poverty? It has been presented in the media as if that commitment is implicit. My understanding is that there is no explicit commitment in respect of both the cap on market revenues and the temporary solidarity contribution. Is the Government making…

I specifically asked about 2022 revenues. The Minister will know about this point because I have raised it with him before. The cap on market revenues, which is the important piece in the Irish context given our energy landscape, only applies from 1 December 2022. The Minister will know that other countries have taken specific measures that go beyond the scope of the EU regulation. I give the examples of France, Belgium and Austria. The Minister will also know that the height of the profits and the height of the co…

In France, it is €100.

It is €100 per megawatt hour.

It is the principle.

The proposal specifically misses the period at which revenues were at their highest.

What additional measures are being taken by the Government to ensure our grid has the capacity to accommodate the required increase in connections to manage the energy transition? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

The Minister has spoken about private wires, the storage policy framework and the hydrogen strategy. The private wires consultation has been a long time coming. It could not happen quickly enough. In his first supplementary response, will the Minister address the capacity and resourcing of EirGrid as a vehicle to deliver on this ambition in the first instance? I regularly meet stakeholders. The Minister, like me and many others, will attend conferences on the opportunity presented by renewables, offshore wind and o…

EirGrid's strategy for capacity and workforce planning was last published in line with the Climate Action Plan 2019, which the former Minister, Deputy Bruton, published. It is somewhat out of date and EirGrid is to come with a new strategy in the not-too-distant future. Like Shaping our Electricity Future 1.1, I hope it will have increased ambition and that it will have a plan to resource and deliver on that increased ambition. Does the Minister have a comment on that? Private wires is an issue for flexibility. The…

The Minister has been asked repeatedly but there is nothing new in what he said today regarding the retained firefighters. They walked out when the Minister said it the other night. He pointed towards the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, the Labour Court, the constraints of Building Momentum, and the informal national pay talks in July. This is an escalating situation. The retained firefighters are going on all-out strike and talking about handing in their pagers. What will the Minister do personally to interve…

As Deputy Guirke said, there is real concern at this site towards the end of the 30-day period of consultation. Staff are working through their union but they have concerns and legitimate questions, such as why them - it is a busy facility and they are very productive. They say they have been stymied because they do not have a sales representative and pointed to areas in which they see opportunities for cost savings and expansion. A number of these workers have disabilities. There must be a major focus on holding o…