I absolutely agree. Energy security is a critical issue and will continue to be the subject of debate in the Oireachtas. I am happy to facilitate such debate, which we will see in the joint committee, the Seanad and the Dáil.

It might be unexpected but I like this proposal. However, I question its relevance to the provisions of the Bill. This Bill is to provide for an exemption from the provisions of the environmental impact assessment, EIA, directive and for an alternative streamlined consenting process rather than determining particular types of storage technology. The Senators appear to be proposing a policy paper to be produced on battery storage. I imagine that is to address issues they consider could contribute positively to the e…

I am quite happy to look at the Australian model. It is very important to look at what is happening in other jurisdictions. That is cutting-edge technology and we will certainly look at that. Senator Boyhan should make those suggestions known when he is contributing to the public consultation, which I am sure he will.

We have not determined how long it will last.

Very shortly. It will be real soon.

I just want to say something about the storage we have in Ireland at the moment. The Senator will be familiar with Turlough Hill. In total, in Ireland, we have 792 MW of storage. Of that, 500 MW is from battery. Therefore, we already have some battery storage in use. Those batteries have an average duration of less than one hour providing system services. In addition to that, there is the 292 MW of pump storage at Turlough Hill, which provides system services to the grid and helps to balance the electricity supply …

I am pleased to have this opportunity to discuss energy security with the House. Energy security and the current energy crisis are having a significant impact on people's day-to-day lives. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has caused a humanitarian catastrophe and displaced millions of Ukrainian citizens. Even before the invasion began, Russia had been reducing its gas supplies to Europe. The invasion has triggered a decision by the European Union to phase out its dependency on Russian gas, oil and c…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity to give him an update on the Government's supports for home retrofit. In order to hit our targets we need to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a building energy rating, BER, of B2 and install 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by the end of 2030. This represents about 30% of our housing stock and is among the most ambitious retrofit programmes worldwide. The national retrofit plan …

I will take the Deputy's comments to the Minister and discuss this with him. I take the Deputy's point there is a real problem for these stone houses. As he says, they are likely to be lived in by people who could be in energy poverty, people who are older, people in remote locations in rural areas and so on, and this needs to be addressed. That is why the guidelines are being worked out. As the Deputy acknowledged, these houses are different and they need different treatment. We need guidance for the people who ar…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and Deputies for the opportunity to present this Bill. Having regard to the unprecedented pressures on the energy sector, I am pleased to have the opportunity to commend the Development (Emergency Electricity Generation) Bill 2022 to the House. I shall open the debate today by setting the context for the action to be taken on foot of this Bill, which will provide for emergency measures for temporary electricity generation developme…

I request that the rest of my speech be read into the record.

I sincerely thank Senator Malcolm Byrne for bringing this issue to the House and for providing the political will for it to happen. It is all very well to have strategies and theories, but it actually takes somebody to really push something, and to put a bit of effort and passion into it, for it to happen. We are very grateful to the Senator for that. Everybody wants this. Everybody has a right to live in a clean environment. People are outraged when they see washing machines and beds thrown by the side of the road…

I have been in contact with the LGMA committee that is drawing up the code of practice. I met litter wardens in both Cork and Dublin so I could talk directly to the people on the ground who are dealing with this criminality. I have also spoken to the chair of the committee, Mr. Liam Bergin, and have constantly asked for updates. I understand the committee has now drafted its code of conduct. It is in discussions with the Data Protection Commission to make sure it is happy. Thereafter, it will be laid before both Ho…

I thank Deputies for their engagement on this crucially important issue. The passion behind the contributions is a reminder of how important it is that we have an affordable supply of energy for the economic as well as social well-being of our people. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, made it clear that the scale of the measures introduced by the Government in 2023 totalled €2.5 billion, which includes the €1.2 billion electricity cost benefit scheme, which we legislated for last week, but action does not stop there…

I thank Senator Murphy for raising the safe routes to school programme and providing me with the opportunity to address the Seanad about this topic on behalf of the Minister for Transport. The programme for Government sets out an ambitious and wide-ranging set of commitments in relation to walking and cycling. It committed that €360 million in cross-government funding would be spent on walking and cycling every year over the lifetime of the Government. This is equivalent to 20% of the 2020 transport capital budget.…

I thank the Senator. Right now, money is not the problem or the constraint. Under our programme for Government, €1 million a day is available for walking and cycling improvements. What better way is there to spend that than to make it safe for children to walk and cycle to school? It has multiple benefits, but part of it is just health and happiness and not making parents have to drive their children to school before they go to work, and so on. It is a very good thing to do. Any school that did not apply or was not…

I thank the Chair and Senator Kyne. The Minister for Education has asked me to answer this question about staffing arrangements for ETBs on her behalf. As Senator Kyne may be aware, the arrangements for the allocation of teaching posts and the allocation of special needs assistants in all schools, including ETB schools, are set down in various circulars issued by the Department of Education. As regards such posts, schools and ETBs have autonomy in the recruitment and replacement of staff within the agreed and appro…

My understanding is that the ETBs, and I was a board member of the Dublin and Dún Laoghaire ETB in the past, have autonomy and independence in hiring staff and choosing how they spend their staff budget and so on. The problem arises when they are hiring a replacement staff member whose pay is additional to the budget that has already been allocated. As the Senator is shaking his head, I may have that wrong.

When somebody is on long-term sick leave, for example, and an additional person needs to be hired, there is an increase in the budget costs and the ETB is required to go back to the Department to seek sanction. The Department's view on this is that it is approving 85% of applications in that situation. I suppose the intention is for the ETBs to live within their budgets, not to exceed the amounts of money allocated in the budget at the start of the year, and to stay within the fiscal prudence envelope. I can pass o…

I welcome our guests in the Gallery and they are all very welcome. I would never judge anyone for their mileage because I live in a county that is only 10 km by 10 km, so I understand that some have a greater challenge than me. Having regard to the continued rise in electricity prices, I am pleased to commend the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2022 to the House. I shall open this debate by setting the broader context for the action to be taken …