Amendment No. 10 relates to when new users are offered connection or enhanced connection to the network. The regulator may review offers made in terms of their alignment with the carbon budget and make appropriate directions. Applicants should conduct assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions impact of their connection. The amendment concerns the role of the commission in regulating the granting of access to the gas network. The amendment proposes that the CRU may conduct reviews of reasons for making an offer and…

I feel like a broken record when it comes to islanded data centres because it seems as if we are ignoring the elephant in the room. The recent figures from GNI's ten-year network development plan show an astounding level of data centre connections in the industrial consumer segment of the market while at the same time demand for electricity in the household sector is projected to decline. It once again highlights the imbalance at the heart of current climate action efforts. Households and small businesses are dispr…

I move amendment No. 11: In page 13, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “(c) in section 10A, by the substitution of the following for subsection (4): “(4) The Commission may, by direction, provide for— (a) the matters to be specified in an agreement for third party access, including terms and conditions relating to price, greenhouse gas emissions, disconnection, decommissioning or repurposing in accordance with carbon budgets; (b) the matters to be specified in an agreement for connection to or enhan…

I move amendment No. 12: In page 13, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “(c) in section 10A, by the substitution of the following for subsection (7): “(7) Subject to subsection (7A), an operator may refuse to enter into an agreement under subsection (2)— (a) on the basis of a lack of capacity in its facility save where it is economical for the operator to make the necessary enhancements to the capacity of the facility in accordance with such conditions as may be specified by the Commission in a direc…

I move amendment No. 13: In page 13, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “(c) in section 10A, by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (7A): “(7B) The transmission system operator and distribution system operator shall be entitled to refuse connection on the grounds of long-term greenhouse gas emissions or inconsistency with the carbon budget programme or sectoral emissions ceilings as made under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021.”,”.

I move amendment No. 14: In page 13, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “(c) in section 10B(2), by the substitution of the following for paragraph (c): “(c) where connection to or enhancement of the upstream pipeline of the operator is required by the applicant, an offer made under that subsection— (i) shall include the terms for such a connection or enhancement, including any charges for connection or enhancement, and details of all technical aspects relating to the connection or enhancement that mi…

I move amendment No. 16: In page 15, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(g) by the insertion of the following section after section 17: “Reporting 17A. (1) A pipeline operator shall on an annual basis prepare a statement for the approval of the Minister setting out— (a) areas of the gas network for disconnection, decommissioning or repurposing in accordance with carbon budgets as set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, (b) gas supply and demand reduction plans, s…

This amendment is around the decommissioning of gas pipelines. It proposes that as well as during construction, health and safety measures should be accounted for during disconnection, decommissioning or repurposing. In other words, this amendment emphasises the point that in construction and in use are not the only two states in which a pipe can exist. They can also be disconnected, decommissioned and repurposed. It is important that safety is accounted for as disconnection, decommissioning and repurposing is like…

I think I actually spoke to amendment No. 17.

Amendment No. 16 is around giving the power to the Minister to issue a direction to upstream pipeline operators as their activities may relate to the climate action plan. It would also force large energy users to report on carbon intensity. My understanding from a reply to a parliamentary question is that LEUs, particularly data centres, are lumped together with oil refineries, which seems a bit bizarre. I wonder whether that is about covering up the fact that we do not have that many oil refineries but we have man…

I move amendment No. 17: In page 15, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(g) in section 39A, by the substitution of the following for subsection (5): “(5) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (4), the Commission may— (a) attach to a consent given under subsection (1) for the construction by a person of a pipeline, a condition requiring to be observed, as regards the pipeline, specific codes and standards of safety and efficiency regarding the construction of pipelines, disconnections, deco…

As I said, I have spoken to amendment No. 17, which provides that health and safety measures should be accounted for during disconnection, decommissioning or repurposing of pipelines given that in construction and in use are not the only states in which a pipe can exist. Health and safety, therefore, needs to be taken into account. Amendment No. 19 gives the CRU the power that it "may" rather than "must" refuse consent for the construction of any new distribution or transmission pipeline in a particular geographic …

I am not surprised that the amendments will not be accepted. It is a rare occasion that Opposition amendments are accepted in this House. However, I would like the Minister of State to confirm what he said about electricity and the reduction in the emissions. Will he accept that was down to offshoring, as reported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland? It said that because our emissions were offshored to Britain due to the gas use, we did not actually reduce them on our territory. It was offshoring. That i…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 15, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(g) in section 39A, by the substitution of the following for subsection (6): “(6) In case the holder of a consent, given under subsection (1), constructs a pipeline, the holder shall take all reasonable measures to reduce gas demand and greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, to protect the natural environment and to avoid injuring the amenities of the area an…

I move amendment No. 19: In page 15, between lines 4 and 5, to insert the following: “(g) in section 39A, by the substitution of the following subsections for subsection (4): “(4) Where, from the appointed day, the Commission determines that the capacity of existing or proposed distribution or transmission pipelines in a particular geographical area, as specified by the Commission, represents adequate provision for reasonable expectation of demand, or risks inconsistency with the carbon budget programme or sectoral…

I move amendment No. 38: In page 19, after line 6, to insert the following: “ Report 22 . The Minister shall, not later than 6 months after the passing of this Act, lay a report before the Houses of the Oireachtas that— (a) outlines the reasons for the failure to publish a full Network Development Plan in 2021 and the dates on which future reports will be published, and (b) reviews the consistency of the most recent Network Development Plan with the obligations on relevant bodies in the Climate Action and Low Carbo…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. To echo what others said, there is an added urgency to the passing of the Bill. That was reflected in the Dáil debate in May of last year. At that time, speakers to this Bill spoke about the impact of delays in court proceedings, in particular, trials of people accused of very serious crimes. The delays have immediate consequences for those affected by the crime and their families, for the police and the justice system bogged down in processing the charges to completion, and for w…

I have a whole list of jobs.

I second the proposed amendment regarding Senator Warfield's Bill on naming the children’s hospital after Dr. Kathleen Lynn. She is my personal hero and, as Senator Warfield said, she was one of the founders of St. Ultan's Hospital, the first infant hospital in Ireland. She was motivated by the abject poverty and treatment of women in this country. It was interesting that the Catholic Church eventually ensured that the hospital was shut down because Dr. Lynn was telling women about reproductive rights at the time. …

I propose an amendment to the Order of Business: "That No. 11 be taken before No. 1." No. 11 is a Bill I am seeking to introduce to ban fossil fuel advertising. We know that fossil fuel companies have been using renewable energy in advertisements showing wind turbines and solar panels to effectively greenwash what their actual activities are. For example, Shell has absolutely no plans to reduce its fossil fuel exploration or use by 2030. In fact, its plans are to increase use by 20%. Only 1% of Shell's investment i…