I will be brief.

I know.

Sure look, we are paid to be here.

I will try to be brief. Senator Higgins has made many of the relevant points. It is regrettable that every time we talk about emergency electricity generation people conflate the supply issue with the generation issue. This is disappointing and it is exploiting the issue, because these are two completely different things. We could have all the gas supply in the world, but we do not have the generators required to produce electricity to feed the insatiable demand. This is an important point and it is used and exploi…

They are not all equal.

Please define what "brief" means.

The Minister of State made a point about who powers down or the hierarchy on the grid. Is it not the case currently, with regard to electricity, that households are first to be disconnected in terms of burnouts and businesses are last? It is the opposite for gas, as households are prioritised over businesses.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “Reports 9. The Minister shall, within six months of the passing of this Act, commission and publish reports on— (a) the level of increased demand by large energy users in the period 2017 to 2022, (b) a breakdown of large energy users that participated in demand side reduction mechanisms during that period, (c) a critical appraisal of existing demand side reduction strategies, and (d) a comprehensive plan to ensure the prioritisation…

To go back to prioritisation of customers on the grid, I was informed by Gas Networks Ireland that it is the opposite. If there is any shortage of gas, households are prioritised. It is not out of any social justice motive, it is because of pilot lights being kept on, which is really important from a public safety point of view. When it comes to electricity, if there is load shedding or blackouts, households are the first to be cut off. That is what I was told. I think it is important that we have clarity on that. …

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. The Minister and I have just left Tallaght, where we were in the company of the formidable Muslim Sisters of Éire, a fantastic group of women who are getting on with the business of plugging the gaps in society. I used the opportunity to talk to them about Dr. Kathleen Lynn and about how she is my inspiration because rather than just complaining or looking on, aghast, at what needed to happen in society to address poverty, she got on and did it. The Muslim Sisters of Éire are very simil…

They never have and they never will. They are just using it as another wedge issue to exploit and divide. I have spent many years on protests and campaigns, including campaigning for change within my own party with regard to reproductive rights and campaigning in the referendum but I do not remember meeting any of those individuals who are active on social media now. I do not remember them ever standing shoulder to shoulder with the women, demanding that we got equality or access to healthcare. They were not there …

I am delighted to second the motion brought by my colleague, Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile and the rest of the Sinn Féin Senators. It is now seven years since the Brexit referendum which unleashed massive uncertainty. I was an MEP at the time and Sinn Féin vigorously campaigned against Brexit because we knew the ramifications of such a decision for the stability of this island. It is a decision that was recognised by the vast majority of people in the North when they voted against Brexit. With the deal that has now be…

It will be no surprise that I will raise the matter of the announcement that the eviction ban will not be extended. Many families, including pensioners and young people, found the safety net had been ripped from under them when they woke up this morning. People who have been given eviction notices woke up to the news that this Government does not care, does not want to protect them and does not have an issue with the fact we will now see an increase in rough sleeping. We again will see families being told, because …

I echo the call by Senator Ó Donnghaile for the Government to fulfil its promise to bring forward an amendment to the legislation making provision for domestic violence leave. When I was an MEP, I worked with others to get the first call for domestic violence leave approved at EU level. It is a really important provision to enable survivors of domestic violence to find alternative accommodation and attend court hearings and medical appointments. It is critical that such leave be treated as a normal salary adjustmen…

During the debate on the Bill, we raised an issue about using newspapers as the format for notifications. Is that the most, or the only, appropriate means of flagging it with the public, given the changing nature of things and the prevalence of social media? I want clarity on that point, if the Minister of State would not mind providing it.

I have two points to make on the section that the Minister of State may be able to clarify. I will give him a chance to put a response on the record, and if we are not happy with the explanation, we might submit amendments in the Dáil. The first is a matter I raised on Second Stage about local authorities not being given the powers to prescribe monuments. We gave the example of The O'Rahilly House, which Dublin City Council unanimously wanted to protect and yet that decision was overruled. Why are local authorities…

Do local authorities have the power to add to those records? The Minister of State said they have the powers to remove them.

What is the situation in respect of vessels?

I am not sure if we are at cross purposes. My question is why the figure of 100 years is used to protect vessels. Once ships or aeroplanes are 100 years old, they are worthy of protection but buildings of the same age are not.

That does not happen automatically.