I know from my experience of transport campaigning and planning over 25 years is that when one designs access for all then everyone benefits. Let us take the Luas as an example, because it was designed as an accessible system. Such infrastructure benefits everyone, whether that be a parent with a child in a buggy, someone in a wheelchair or someone who is visually impaired because it has been designed for people with disability. I want to give some further detail as background. Lifts at stations has been a critical…

I thank the Cathaoirleach and Senators for this opportunity to update the House on the security of energy supply. I will address the challenge related to security of electricity supply. There are currently no similar short- or medium-term concerns about oil and natural gas security of supply, which continue to be traded normally, albeit at high prices. For this reason, I will focus my comments on the security of electricity supply. Ensuring a continued secure supply of electricity is vital for the proper functionin…

I will do my best to respond to all of the comments and questions raised in the discussion. I will start with three issues raised by Senator Garvey. She referred to the introduction of green loans for retrofitting, the ability to sell electricity back to the grid and amendments to planning regulations to allow for solar panels. I expect all three to begin within a short number of months. All three should be in place in the next three to four months. All three have a critical role to play and will be of benefit as p…

There is no intention to do that. I think 2025 was the closure date target under the emissions directive. Nobody is looking to extend the date. It is purely to get us through to a phase whereby we get a backup variable gas plant to give us cover. I could not agree more with Senator Murphy on helping families in a tight corner. He referred to the increases to the living alone allowance, the qualified child payment and the fuel allowance. What is significant in the last two budgets is that in each instance we have be…

I thank Deputy Griffin for his contribution and regular discussions on this issue. I am hopeful, once the legal challenges against this project end and solutions are found for the sections excluded from the planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála, an updated application for funding will be submitted by Kerry County Council to Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. A significant portion of the original funding allocated to Kerry County Council for the project remains unclaimed and sufficient funds remain to …

As I said, some of the money is already sitting in accounts waiting for the legal issues to be resolved. Some €3.46 million was allocated in April 2014 and a further €415,000 was issued in the same year for the section in Reenard. Some of that amount is in dormant accounts waiting to be used. Considering how inflation has raised significantly since then in construction, and how some of the work on the viaduct tunnel bridges would probably be more significant than on an ordinary route, one can see how it would be ex…

My Department published a notice of intention to grant two prospecting licences in north Leitrim in a local newspaper on 7 October 2021. Submissions on these applications can be made to my Department until 12 midnight on 7 November. Details are available on the Department's website. All valid submissions will be considered before a final decision is made on whether to grant the two prospecting licences in question. It is important that we all understand the difference between a prospecting licence and a mining lice…

I am very familiar with north Leitrim. The people and the place have a special character. I absolutely support what Tony McLoughlin did, which Deputy Harkin mentioned. There was widespread cross-party support for the ban on fracking, which came from local communities and the Love Leitrim group. That has been significant. There is a difference. We will need base metals in the low carbon transition we are going to make. Do we decide to import them from other parts of the world which do not have the same environmental…

Our thoughts on this whole issue go to the families of those people who tragically lost their lives while doing the great public service of putting themselves in danger on others' behalf. It is absolutely in all our interest that the families are not put into any further difficulty or stress to add to the tragedy they have had to cope with. It would be scandalous if we were fighting against the paying of such costs but that is not true. I am confident that following the completion of the review group's work, and wh…

My Department has not strenuously fought against the payment of such costs. We received the review report on 1 October. We had to check its contents with the Office of the Attorney General to ensure we were able to pass the report to the stakeholders, including the families. As soon as I was given the all-clear for that from the Attorney General's office, which I believe was on 14 October, we signed off the next day and made sure that the report went to all the stakeholders, including the families. The original inv…

No. As I said, I have already engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to make sure that we can engage with the families and ensure that this issue is not something to add to the terrible hurt that they have experienced in this affair.

On the timelines with regard to carbon budgets, we have to be careful here because the Climate Change Advisory Council is independent in the way it has been established and in the way it sets out its work. However, I understand it is meeting on 25 October, which is next week, and I hope and expect, subject to it being satisfied with its process, that it will be able to issue the first of the two carbon budgets for the first and second five-year periods bringing us to the end of the decade. I expect it will also pub…

I accept the Deputy's point about the date. To be honest, the decision was whether to go out straight away, the day after the Climate Change Advisory Council hopefully publishes its budget approach. I thought that was inappropriate and it was better to give that a certain amount of time. In addition, the Dáil would not be sitting and I would prefer to come back to this House on 3 November, which is in plenty of time for when the serious negotiations in the COP take place in the second week of November. Therefore, i…

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I very much take on board your words of warning in this regard. However, in this case I think we are on safer ground because in this I am absolutely certain there is no difference or any controversy with regard to the President's decision. The Government fully accepted and understood that his decision in this regard was taken absolutely properly. His role on this issue is not in any way being called into question. It never was, from the very start of this becoming a controversial matter. Un…

The shared island unit within the Department of the Taoiseach is a prime example. One of the things we did with the shared island unit was to start engaging with environmental NGOs and others in the North, recognising that the shared island is a shared environment. Pollution and issues like climate change recognise no borders. Brexit gives rise to concerns that we could end up with two different standards of environmental protection, including habitats protection, that could drive a further wedge and create a new b…

I thank the Deputy for his questions. They cover two different matters so I will start with his first point. I also visited the farm he mentioned in Louth last month. Sorry, it was in Meath. There is a big difference. I was very impressed. The mapping of soils and what goes on is very impressive. Similar to what I have seen and heard about the UCD Lyons Farm, there is use of mixed sward grass systems that is a game changer because it is more resilient in flood and drought conditions. It has deeper root systems and …

Stopping the lights going out is our critical concern. The Deputy knows there has been much public commentary about this because we had two large gas plants down and auctions that had not delivered new back-up power, meaning we are very tight for the next number of years. I do not believe the details are finalised but in speaking with the ESB and others, it seems the ESB is looking at those two former stations. I understand one of them is starting to install some of the battery back-up systems that will give us the…

I will have to come back to the Deputy about the trees on another day.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has introduced five Bills in this House on the rental sector. While much of this legislation may have related to Covid emergency measures, there is no shortage of ambition to address the rental crisis. I understand the Minister now intends to progress, with the greatest urgency, a specific new renters Bill to address headline inflation rate being above 4%, a development that was not expected. He will introduce a Bill in the House in th…

I agree with the Deputy. I swam in Dublin Bay the weekend before last, and I now have an ear infection. I am now wondering if the two are connected.