I move the following Supplementary Estimate: Vote 29 — Environment, Climate and Communications (Third Supplementary Estimate) That a third supplementary sum not exceeding €1,362,000,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2022, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, including certain services administered by that Office, and for payment of certain grants.

I move the following Supplementary Estimate: Vote 40 - Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (Supplementary Estimate) That a supplementary sum not exceeding €719,413,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2022, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, for certain services administered by that Office and for the payment of grants.

I am conscious that funerals are taking place again for three of the victims of last Friday's terrible tragedy in Creeslough. I want to convey my personal and deepest sympathies to all of those who have been bereaved and to the wider community. I know the funeral of James O’Flaherty is taking place at this moment and this afternoon funeral mass will be held for Catherine O'Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha. I thank Deputy Kerrane for raising the issue of the cost of l…

The reality is seen when we look at this in the round. Bill pay customers have that three-month period in which there cannot be a disconnection for non-payment. For vulnerable customers, that has been increased to six months. I have outlined a whole series of interventions that have been made to assist pay-as-you-go customers. We acknowledge they are in a different and more vulnerable situation because, in the absence of anything else happening, if their credit is gone, then the power, in essence, will stop. There …

I start by assuring the Deputy the Government is not sweeping anything under the carpet. We regard the revelations that have emerged as being of the utmost seriousness. That is why the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has acted decisively and it is why the Government is acting. The Minister has obtained Government approval for an action plan for An Bord Pleanála, outlining a series of specific measures to address the Office of the Planning Regulator's phase 1 review recommendations. The issue has been discussed at…

First, An Bord Pleanála is independent in its functions, but of course that does not put it beyond the reach of accountability. It has to be accountable. I cannot give the Deputy a figure on the number of planning permissions that might be overturned in the Irish courts, nor would it be possible for anyone to estimate that. Of course, any overturning of a planning decision by a court of law is a serious matter. To be honest, there have been too many instances, in particular, relating to SHD decisions by An Bord Ple…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. First, to address the transfer of staff from within our local government system who are working in the area of water services to Irish Water, I am aware that very significant progress has been made. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has met directly with the representatives of the workers on a number of occasions. As the Deputy said, the offices of the WRC have been used to try to reach an agreement. My understanding is that there are up to 3,000 worki…

I thank the Deputy. To reiterate the core point, staff are not going to be forced to do anything. Many staff are going to make the voluntary choice to stay within local authorities and the local government sector. Others will transfer.

Others will transfer. It is important they do so on terms that are acceptable to them and that defend and vindicate the rights they currently have and the terms and conditions they currently enjoy. That commitment is being given in the context of the framework that the Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has brought forward. I will discuss the specific issues the Deputy has raised with the Minister, but that is my understanding of where the matter stands. As the Deputy knows…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. We absolutely recognise that there is much worry out there. Many households, businesses, community groups, sports clubs, and so on, are genuinely worried about the months ahead and the bills that are coming their way. They worry about how they are going to be able to meet those bills. We accept that, and it is why we have brought forward a whole range of issues, which I will not go through again because I think people are well familiar with them. However, by any measure, i…

People are worried. We should not add to their worries by being unfair in our analysis of the situation. The price today for UK gas on wholesale markets is approximately £3 a therm. This day two years ago, the price was 50 pence a therm, yet the Deputy said that it is all the fault of the Government.

The Deputy completely undermined-----

-----his own argument by not even recognising-----

To be fair, the Deputy is not even recognising basic facts, namely, that the wholesale price of energy on the international markets has rocketed. For the Deputy to say that it is all the fault of the Government is just not accurate, not credible and he is just-----

-----misleading people for his own political advantage, as he sees it.

The Government has brought forward a package worth €1.2 billion of specific special payments that will be made between now and early December. That will be of real help to people. We stood by businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have seen a strong recovery in the Irish economy. We are now setting a scheme and are focused on getting that up and running. Of course, we will keep it under review and if the Government needs to do more next year, at least we have the resources to do so because we will have a surpl…

-----over the course of next year.

I will break through the Deputy's spin. He called for this levy and welcomed it.

That is the fact of the matter and we need to remind people of that.

The finance spokesperson for the Deputy's party welcomed the levy on the day it was announced in the Dáil. Let us put that on the record and be straight.