I will be brief because the point has been made with regard to this amendment. I want to make a point about some of the other amendments in the grouping. I support all of them, especially amendment No. 5 in the name of Deputy Bacik. It does what a number of other amendments seek to do, namely to increase transparency, accountability, scrutiny and the assessment of the particular projects that are to be delivered. I have tabled an amendment relating to a review and I notice that another amendment relates to assessin…

May I speak to my amendment at this stage?

I will speak to Deputy Smith's amendment on the report. My amendment is on the same theme. As I mentioned, there is a need to measure emissions. This Bill is emergency legislation introduced in exceptional circumstances. There are significant risks associated with it and the opportunity for increased scrutiny, accountability and review is an important one that should be taken.

I move amendment No. 9: In page 7, between lines 25 and 26, to insert the following: “Report on the Implementation 12. (1) The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas following a post-enactment review. (2) Within one month of the laying of the report before both Houses of the Oireachtas, the Minister and EirGrid shall account for the performance of their functions to the Joint Oireachtas Committee for the Environment and Climate Action and shall …

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — that the transport sector accounts for 17.7 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions, and investment in public transport can play a central role in helping to reduce carbon emissions; — that expanding affordable, accessible and reliable public transport infrastructure across the island can deliver environmental, social and economic benefits to all cities, towns and regions; — that 13.5 per cent of the population have a disability, and ensuring universal access for all on pu…

I thank everyone who contributed to the debate. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, stated that some elements of the motion "do not properly reflect the progress to date in this area, the work currently under way or the Government's future plans for public transport." I do not know what that means. We have set out, for example, in the area of Connecting Ireland, the rural bus plan which is supported by the Opposition, that the Government is not investing enough in it and not rolling it out at a suitable pace. T…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — that the latest round of energy price hikes announced by energy providers is putting severe financial pressure on people; — that households are facing extraordinary costs to light and heat their homes this winter, and will need equivalent support from the Government and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) during this time; — that, in the first half of 2022, there were 712 domestic electricity and 309 domestic gas disconnections due to non-payment of account; — that t…

The Minister of State and the Minister filled their time and talked about everything but the issue at hand. This was particularly so with the clear call for the extension of the disconnection ban to all customers from now until the end of March. There was no commitment from Government to do that. There was no commitment to provide a solution for pay-as-you-go customers. The solution there would be to ensure they have the exact same protections as billpay customers have. The Government did not provide a solution for…

I raise the issue of Garda resources in County Meath. We have the lowest number of gardaí per head of population, at one per 668 people. We have a joint policing committee meeting tonight in Ratoath, which is the largest town in Ireland without a Garda station. This is testament to a lack of investment. There has been an increase in crime and in the number of unsolved crimes. There was a target to recruit 800 gardaí this year, but only 24 have been recruited. Since 2016, there has been an increase of just two garda…

The poor standard of service provided by Go-Ahead is a very significant issue and we can see that across the board. My colleagues here this morning have given their own accounts but, in truth, as my party's transport spokesperson, wherever Go-Ahead operates, I have heard of problems from Sinn Féin Deputies, Senators, councillors and local area representatives. It could be that the 184, 185, 45A, 238, L52, 115, 120, 33A or 33B - the list goes on. Anywhere it operates, there are these challenges. We know there are ch…

Where is the Minister? This question has been asked repeatedly. Taxi drivers, hauliers and the aviation sector have given up on him as Minister for Transport. We had a two-hour debate last week and he was not present for a single minute of it. This debate on public transport has been held repeatedly in the Chamber, but the Minister has been present for none of it. December is no time to have this issue addressed. It needs to be addressed now. Contracts are up for extension at this time, but they should not be exten…

Will the Minister of State give a commitment that the contracts will not be extended if the necessary staffing complement is not in place? That commitment needs to be given.

I will support the amendment. We have articulated previously that the Government’s approach is not the one we would have taken. There are always strengths and weaknesses with universal measures, and a number of the weaknesses of this approach would not arise with the introduction of a cap on prices. There are particular weaknesses to this approach and many of them relate to the fact that it is not targeted, that there are anomalies within it and that some cohorts are excluded and disadvantaged by it while others ar…

I will speak in support of the amendment, which is necessary and important. This is another one of those anomalies where things that are left open sometimes result in those who are intended and entitled to receive a credit not receiving it. I want to add to the examples that have been given and detail the additional complexity that arises where there is a multi-unit facility with one MPRN and individual pay-as-you-go meters. There are a number of these around this city and there is the additional and combined probl…

There is a sense of déjà vu with this Bill because we have been here before. In February this year, we debated an almost identical Bill. During those debates Sinn Féin submitted amendments to the original electricity credit Bill removing the references to it being a once-off measure as we said that was not reflective of the crisis we were facing into and more assistance would be needed down the line. At the time, I said: A once-off discount is short-sighted and it is clear that more needs to be done. There are no i…

I will be sharing time with colleagues. The Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, has been operating with one hand tied behind its back, which has allowed poor standards and customer service problems to go unaddressed. As in the energy sector, the Government established an independent regulator but left it without the teeth needed to enforce standards of quality properly. At the time, we called for the introduction of legislation to provide for much larger sanctions that would act as a deterrent to comm…

I am sharing time with colleagues. If it was only Donegal that did not have rail, we might be in a far better starting position. Unfortunately, there are many other counties in the same boat as Donegal. Many people will be familiar with the map that compares the rail network today with the rail network 100 years ago. It is an incredible shame that we are where we are now and have lost that fantastic infrastructure that would serve us so well. The OECD will release a report today or in the coming days that will refl…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. The Communications Regulation Bill is a technical piece of legislation but one with important implications for telecommunications providers and their customers. The primary aim of the Bill is to transpose the European electronic communications code and the EU-wide regulatory framework for the telecommunications sector. This Bill aims to provide ComReg with stronger regulatory and consumer protection powers, which is very welcome. ComReg's most recent annual re…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on budget 2023. I will focus my comments on the transport and climate budgets. At a time when we need a transformation in transport to make it safer, more accessible and more affordable, budget 2023 fell far short. Despite a concerning level of antisocial behaviour on public transport, there was no funding for a public transport policing unit. While the 20% fare reduction was extended to the end of 2023, which is welcome, Sinn Féin would have made it permanent. It also was not exp…

I want to ask the Minister about the efforts he is making to ensure the sustainability and viability of the taxi sector; if he will abandon or extend by five years the ten-year rule; if he will relax constraints preventing the transfer of plates; and if he will make a statement on the matter.