-----then I do not believe you are serving the people or constituency because you are not reflecting the truth.

The truth is that we have to protect ourselves in the short run immediately from that crisis.

In the medium and long term, the way we protect ourselves is by developing our own resources----

----developing our own fuels. Lastly I say to those who talked down the need for us to take climate action seriously this summer, say that to the people in Kenya, Somalia and Eritrea. Say that to the people in Pakistan.

Say that to the Irish people too. It is a reality that we can no longer ignore.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I very much appreciate that. I thank Senators for raising these important matters and allowing us time to discuss them today. Clearly, the current situation where we are witnessing significant increases in energy bills and the cost of living is a matter of real and serious concern. The Government is keenly aware of the growing pressures this is placing on families and businesses. As Senators will be aware, in recognition of this situation, we have already put some €2.4 billion in place as…

I thank the Deputies for raising this critical issue and allowing us to have this debate this evening. Clearly, the situation we are witnessing with increases in energy bills and the cost of living is the matter of utmost concern and is central to everything at this time in the country. We are keenly aware of the growing pressure on families and businesses. We have been thinking about and working on this for the past year and a half because this started some year and a half ago for a variety of different reasons. I…

I apologise. I was at a Cabinet subcommittee. I will briefly add to what the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, has said. We are trained on developing this strategy. We agree with the Opposition that it is central to the development of our energy future. There is real potential for large-scale offshore wind energy and other renewable sources, which can use electrolysis to create green hydrogen as the centre of our industrial and energy strategy. It is at an early stage for every country. Even other countries in Euro…

Deputy Ó Murchú was true to his word and bang on the dot. I agree with Deputies O'Rourke and Ó Murchú that we need to take an all-island approach to this. We need to think bigger again and take a European approach. We will not make the decarbonisation to new energy system as an island alone. It will require co-operation with the United Kingdom and our continental European colleagues. It is a regional balancing system and a regional renewable system feeding into a hydrogen system. Electricity interconnection, gas in…

Like the Minister for Finance, I listened with real intent to the Leader of the Opposition's speech. What I heard as the key, core, central message was that politics is framed at the moment between the ordinary people and the insiders. That is the very cornerstone of the populist playbook that has been incredibly successful in the world in the past ten years in many different countries. It tends to be quick to anger. It foments dissent and division.

It thrills in being outspoken on social media but in the cold light of day it tends to be humourless and mean. It is hugely successful until it meets the reality of being in government. Let us consider what Donald Trump did and the nationalist populism in the US and look at the nationalist populism Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivered. The cold reality of the real world shows it cannot deliver the false promises it presents. It is important because we live in extraordinary times where all of us as ordinary people…

We will not deliver it on our own.

No party can deliver it, in our voting system, on its own.

I recall-----

-----saying in the convention centre two years ago that Deputy Micheál Martin had all the right characteristics to be a good Taoiseach. The past years have proven that to be right. He took the baton from the Tánaiste who managed the Covid------

-----crisis in a way we can be proud of and it did not drop and it will not drop again as it is handed back this year and we go the full term delivering for our people. All three parties have differences but understand that politics is the art of the possible and we will serve our people to the end, to the very best of our abilities-----

-----hoping that in that time this wave of populism in politics that has gone right across the world might be on the wane because it will not serve our people; it will not deliver.

This year's budget and last year's budget were designed together. Anyone listening to "Morning Ireland" this morning would have heard the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, set out that there are real challenges but there are ways we can fix it. There are three challenges. The first is the economic sustainability of the providers. This is why last year's budget was important. In it the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, secured €221 million for providers on the understandin…

Sinn Féin in its documentation for budget 2021 committed to providing €167 million for childcare. The Minister's budget delivered €221 million, which is €60 million more.

This is what actually happened.