On a related point regarding the scope of the fund, a query came up repeatedly last night. Why is aviation fuel specifically excluded? Will the Minister clarify that point?

As this is my first interaction with the Minister in the Dáil, I want to wish him the very best of luck in his role. I look forward to working with him over the coming years in a constructive and productive manner. Both of our parties share the same desire to transition to a greener society and economy but this must be done in a fair and just manner. Climate justice must be at the heart of the Government's approach to reducing carbon emissions. There are huge challenges in the climate action and transport briefs, a…

Expanding our renewable energy sources will be key to achieving our carbon emissions targets. The recently published programme for Government states that this Administration is committed to an average 7% per annum reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions from 2021 to 2030. However, what has become clear is that this is an average of 7%, so it seems this Administration plans to backload most of the work to the latter half of this decade, passing the baton to the next Administration. The EPA report states that t…

I encourage and implore the Minister to use the opportunity of the July stimulus to be very ambitious for renewable energy. What are the plans for the inclusion of renewable energy projects in the July stimulus? I am aware there are barriers to the development of renewable energy, for example, there are regulatory barriers to offshore wind. I am particularly interested in the model of delivery of renewable energy resources, in particular community involvement, co-operatives and community-led projects. What plans ha…

I want to ask the Minister about the proposal to quadruple the carbon tax over the next ten years. Sinn Féin has pointed out consistently that without alternatives in place first, it is a punitive tax that will hit workers and families hard. It will associate positive climate change measures with a negative. Some 400,000 people are living in fuel poverty in this State. If they cannot afford to heat their homes now, they will not be in a position to pay a carbon tax.

Sinn Féin agrees that we need to reduce our carbon emissions and meet our legally binding targets. It is on the approach to this that we differ from the Government, however. We believe climate action must be socially just and that we must protect people as we transition to a greener economy. It is not just Sinn Féin that disagrees on the approach being proposed by the Government. The Minister previously advocated a fee-and-dividend approach to carbon tax. At his party conference last year, he said the fee-and-divid…

I am not persuaded by that argument. In my experience as a public representative in Meath I have seen that there is a cohort of people who will not benefit from the measures that are being proposed, who will see these measures as regressive and who will be disproportionately affected by them. These people are vulnerable and the imposition of a carbon tax without alternatives, which they do not and will not have, will be very difficult. I am not the only one who says this approach is a regressive one and some people…

I want to raise the issue of the North-South interconnector with the Minister. I am fully aware of the importance of connecting the electricity and energy grids on this island. However, this project has met with spectacular local opposition to the pylons and overhead power lines along the route. Is the Minister aware of the level of anger and opposition on the ground to this project? As a TD from the constituency it is running through I can tell the Minister it simply will not proceed as a project in its current fo…

At the heart of this issue is a fundamental principle that will affect much of what we both want to achieve in terms of ambition around climate change, that is, the fundamental principle of public participation in decision-making. The Minister referenced the reviews that took place. He knows as well as I do that for every one of those reviews there is a real criticism in terms of the scope, nature and extent of the review and the comparisons that were drawn upon. At every hand's turn we have seen a case where the c…

I do not disagree with the Minister on a number of those points but I believe we are not speaking to each other in this exchange. We are speaking past each other because the points I am raising are the points that have been raised by the community and it is my firm opinion that unless we address those concerns specifically we will not make progress. The Minister has responsibility for delivering this project. I am asking him, as a constituency TD who wants to see the project delivered, how he intends to deliver it.…

I raise the issue of the national broadband plan with the Minister but I am conscious that he has already handled two questions on this issue. I had thought they might be grouped. For the purpose of making this exchange a little bit useful, perhaps the Minister could focus his response on the plan as it is envisaged to roll out, the weakness of the plan from the Minister's perspective, and what he will bring to the plan in his position of Minister to improve on it and to bring about prioritisation of its rapid deli…

I appreciate the response and understand the perspective. Very significant societal changes will come with the full implementation of this plan. During the lockdown, as RTÉ reported, one of the digital hubs in my area did not have high-speed broadband connection. The building existed, with the tables, chairs and offices, but they did not have the broadband infrastructure to make it work. It is crucial that the system is in place to deliver it and that the broadband plan is delivered as quickly and to as high a stan…

In my experience information and communication on this are really important. People are really frustrated about access to information. People do a tremendous job in trying to get a forensic knowledge of broadband in their local areas. They are able to say what lines are going where and they have engaged with the different utility providers. The experience of dealing with the utility providers can be very frustrating. Meath County Council has a broadband officer, Cormac McCann. He is a fantastic resource to public r…

This question relates to community forms of ownership and delivery of wind energy and what specific measures the Government proposes to advance this unique and significant opportunity in the time ahead.

I am sharing time with Deputies Seán Crowe and Buckley. The main purpose of this Bill is to amend the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 to provide for the establishment of the climate action fund on a statutory basis. It also provides for the 2 cent levy that currently funds the National Oil Reserves Agency to be redirected to support the fund. It is proposed that the climate action fund will be used to support projects aimed at reducing emissions, increasing renewable energy production, improving energy effici…

It takes a village to raise a child. Covid-19 and the restrictions that came with it put that fact up in lights. In the very short time I have, I will focus on first-time parents. I am familiar with the experience myself. People leave the hospital full of enthusiasm and love and bursting with pride but, in truth, they do not know what they are at and are half petrified. To overcome this, they lean on their family, friends, neighbours and anyone else who is willing to help. In normal times, there are many such peopl…

This is an important judgment. The Commission raised concerns about the lack of independence and a conflict of interest and found that the State failed to comply with its obligations. It is an important and significant judgment and requires a full response from the Department and the State. I would question the approach taken by the Government in contesting the case. As Deputy Ó Laoghaire outlined, it is not as if this had not been flagged. The judgment has important implications for the recommendations, findings a…

Page 51 of the programme for Government states that the Government will: "Ensure the best possible safeguards are in place to protect our friends and family in nursing homes." Yesterday we heard the harrowing account of the treatment of one nursing home resident in County Meath, Ultan Meehan, and the condition in which he was transferred to Connolly Hospital where he later passed away. In early June, I raised the case with the then Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, HIQA and the HSE. It is very apparent that the m…

I congratulate the Minister on his new role and wish him the very best. I mean that. As others have said, many people are really depending on him and the system needs all the support it can get. I thank the Minister for coming here to answer questions on the extremely important issue of the Kilbrew nursing home and the care of Ultan Meehan. His family want this issue raised at the very highest level. There has been extensive media coverage of this case in recent days but it is important that we remember there is a …

I thank the Minister for his reply. I return to the issue of the reports and planning as to where we go from here. That is really important and I do not want to leave that point. The family seeks an independent review of this case and this needs to remain on the table here, notwithstanding the fact that the HSE and HIQA are involved in this. Can the Minister indicate what the HIQA and HSE timelines are? A month has now passed. Is the Minister satisfied that this is an isolated incident? I do not believe that he can…