I withdraw the amendment on the basis we will have statements in the Chamber on the McCarthy report.

I am glad to hear the Minister believes the sunset clause is already in place and that the Eirgrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 will cease operation in 2027 and that is-----

The project will cease. Its cessation being cast iron does not negate the need to have a sunset clause in this Bill, because the operation of this Bill only applies to the application. It is safe to say that once the EPA has granted that application, there is absolutely no reason it would need to retain these functions and powers for another two, three, four or however many years. I was a little bit more generous than Deputy Naughten. I gave an extra year in my sunset clause, but what has been said to us during the…

The Minister is saying we cannot include the sunset clause because it is needed until 2027. This Bill relates to the EPA assessment. The EPA will do that assessment once. We were told very clearly that the assessment would have to be conducted within a couple of months. The EPA will have done its job. It will have used the provisions of the Act and done the assessment in an expedited manner. That will be completed by the end of the year. I do not know why the Minister thinks he needs this legislation going forward.…

If this process goes through and the 450 MW is in place for this winter but another deficit arises next year and the Minister realises we need additional capacity, will this legislation enable the EPA to undertake a further assessment on additional capacity for winter 2024-25?

Where is that specified? I have done a quick search of Eirgrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 and 450 MW is not specified in that legislation.

I do not have that legislation to hand but I will take the Minister at his word. It still does not negate the fact that once the EPA has conducted its functions, this Bill is no longer necessary. Therefore, there should be a sunset clause included to ensure the emergency provisions, once dealt with, are negated and no longer possible to be used in any other process.

I move amendment No. 6: In page 8, after line 8, to insert the following: “(3) This Act shall continue in operation until 8 March 2025, unless a resolution approving the continuation of this Act has been passed by Dáil Éireann before that date and, in that event, this Act shall continue in operation until such date as is specified in the resolution.”.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 3, line 19, after “flora” to insert the following: “, in line with the provisions as set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021”.

Last night "RTÉ Investigates" made for difficult viewing for parents of children all across the country. Not only did it, once again, highlight the scandal of the incredible waiting lists for children awaiting assessment of needs, it also exposed the incredible situation that, when a parent is unable to get the supports from the HSE in the public system and they manage to scrape together the money to go privately, what they are doing is entering the wild west of healthcare in Ireland where anybody can call themselv…

All too frequently, we debate emergency legislation from the Minister's Department. As my colleagues stated, I am on the Committee on Environment and Climate Action, which has probably received more requests for pre-legislative scrutiny to be waived than to be done. At some stage, it ceases to be an emergency. At some stage, the Department must be expected to be able to plan ahead for legislation. This Bill is the third legislative element. I believe the previous element was dealt with in October. Prior to that was…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. However, I feel an overwhelming sense of déjà vu today. It was only a few short weeks ago we were debating a Social Democrats motion on the same issue. Unfortunately, in the weeks that have passed, nothing has changed other than that the desperate pleas from people in our communities are getting louder as the bills are getting bigger. Since we last discussed this issue, people have been out in the media, telling us all about the anxiety-inducing bills they have be…

This morning I would like to discuss Blessington Community College and its accommodation needs, not just for the upcoming school year but also in the future. Blessington Community College is the only secondary school in Blessington. It has 627 students currently enrolled. The number has doubled in the past nine years. It is an incredibly popular and successful school. Its projected intake for 2023 is 709 students, which is an increase of 82 students on the current intake. The enrolment of the school is predicted to…

Unfortunately, I did not hear any new information from the Minister of State there. It is true that the school has completely pared back its requirements for temporary accommodation to the point where it is just refurbishing four Portakabins and putting in two new ones. Despite that, there is still no indication that this will be in place for September 2023 when it is needed. The school and parents are getting worried. It is getting to the point where the school may have to reconsider offering parents those places …

I thank the Regional Group for the opportunity to discuss this important issue. The Social Democrats are fully supportive of all the calls being made today. It is telling that there are two motions on the NAS this week. Related issues were also discussed at the Joint Committee on Health. Pre-hospital emergency care is a vital cog in our healthcare services. Paramedics and other workers in the NAS provide life-saving care every day, often in incredibly challenging contexts. However, this crucial service is under-res…

The announcement from Electric Ireland that it was going to reduce energy prices for businesses is very welcome, particularly for those small businesses that have been very much struggling with the incredible energy costs. However, we do not see the same respite for domestic users. People are getting bills through the door that they could never ever have imagined and that they are not able to pay. Electric Ireland customers saw three price hikes in a five-month period last year. They have been hit particularly hard…

Women vomiting 100 or more times a day, vomiting so much they are bursting blood vessels in their eyes or rupturing their oesophagus, feeling so sick they choose to terminate a much-wanted pregnancy rather than suffering for the entire pregnancy with this illness, and suffering post-traumatic distress and considering suicide: that is what happens when you have hyperemesis. There is a drug that can help with this but the Government has made it so difficult to access this drug under the drug payment scheme that it is…

There is no point in having that if people cannot get it.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 to include the definition of “vulnerable customers” in relation to the functions of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities; and to allow the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications to make regulations to that effect. I am proud to introduce the Electricity Regulation (Amendment) (Protection of Financially Vulnerable Customers) Bill 2023. During times of increasing energy prices, it is …

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."