Jennifer Whitmore
Wicklow · Social Democrats · Ireland
“The Minister for justice recently brought in reforms for the criminal justice legal aid system. While we all recognise that there is a need for reform within the system, the reforms that the Minister has brought in are ill-considered, not backed up by data or evidence and have led to absolute chaos in the courts system.”
“Hundreds of jurors were recently told that their services were no longer required. Many vulnerable people in the legal system are falling through gaps.”
“A hosepipe ban will come into force in a number of counties on the east coast from tomorrow. I completely understand that because we are seeing record temperatures and are in the middle of dealing with the climate crisis and climate change.”
“In 2024, 1,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour were recorded on Dublin Bus. That was nearly double the figure recorded just a few years earlier. Unfortunately, this is not just limited to Dublin. We are also seeing instances of this in my constituency, Wicklow, on Go-Ahead services.”
“More than 1,000 people died in Spain due to heat-related causes in June of this year alone. By early July, Spain had 14 major forest fires and 50,000 ha of land had been burned. Across Europe, more than 10,000 excess deaths associated with the recent heatwave were recorded in a single week. These warnings have to be taken seriously.”
“As a family member, you wonder if the person is getting care, whether they are being fed properly and whether they are being looked after. There is no visibility. There is a dementia care home in Shankill that a lot of people from my constituency use, St. Joseph's. It is incredible. I visited it recently.”
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“Hundreds of jurors were recently told that their services were no longer required. Many vulnerable people in the legal system are falling through gaps. I know this decision went through the Cabinet and was signed off but in light of the impact that this is happening on our courts system, will the Tánaiste push for the process to be stalled? We need it stopped. We need there to be proper consultation. We need a clear, coherent and properly working policy to be developed.”
“The Minister for justice recently brought in reforms for the criminal justice legal aid system. While we all recognise that there is a need for reform within the system, the reforms that the Minister has brought in are ill-considered, not backed up by data or evidence and have led to absolute chaos in the courts system. Solicitors have removed themselves from free legal aid work. The Wicklow courts system has essentially ground to a halt. No Wicklow solicitors are participating or providing free legal aid advice. It means that in recent weeks, cases involving assault, domestic violence, theft, drugs and possession of child pornography have not gone ahead in Wicklow. There are victims in Wicklow who are not able to access justice at the moment because these new changes have brought chaos.”
“In 2024, 1,000 incidents of antisocial behaviour were recorded on Dublin Bus. That was nearly double the figure recorded just a few years earlier. Unfortunately, this is not just limited to Dublin. We are also seeing instances of this in my constituency, Wicklow, on Go-Ahead services. I have constituents who are unable to take some routes because of the antisocial behaviour that is happening, particularly on the top level of some of these buses. There is drug-taking, harassment and fighting. We do not want a situation where people are afraid or uncomfortable to take public transport. I know the Taoiseach plans a transport security force. What is the progress update on that? When will it be rolled out? Will it be for areas outside Dublin such as Wicklow?”
“More than 1,000 people died in Spain due to heat-related causes in June of this year alone. By early July, Spain had 14 major forest fires and 50,000 ha of land had been burned. Across Europe, more than 10,000 excess deaths associated with the recent heatwave were recorded in a single week. These warnings have to be taken seriously. I am really worried that, rather than using his time at the helm of the EU over the next six months to bring Europe together and really fight against climate and nature breakdown, it would appear that the Taoiseach is either going to ignore the issue or indeed to row back on climate action and sustainability measures. Can he not see the shortsightedness in that?”
“A hosepipe ban will come into force in a number of counties on the east coast from tomorrow. I completely understand that because we are seeing record temperatures and are in the middle of dealing with the climate crisis and climate change. It is important that we conserve water, but can the Taoiseach understand the frustration of many people being told that they have to conserve water when it appears that there is very little governance or oversight of the amount of water used by data centres, particularly those in the Dublin area? Uisce Éireann cannot seem to provide proper figures for the amount of water that is being abstracted at the moment. It reckons that about 800 ML, 0.13% of the national average, is being abstracted. However, that is less than what Meta has recorded as abstracting for one of its own plants.”
“If the Attorney General needs to look at other countries that have brought in similar measures for guidance as to how to do it, I suggest he do so. It is fundamental that a cap is included in the legislation. In November, the consultation on the animal welfare strategy began. It closed in January. Nothing has been published yet. There are still no details and we have not seen the submissions from that consultation. The dog control stakeholder group was established in 2024. I believe that group has reported, although I am not sure. When is the Minister going to publish both of those reports? It is really important that he is transparent about whatever came out of those two consultation processes. The results must form part of the discussions on the development of this Bill.”
“Part of the Minister of State's response reads, "The mandatory staffing ratio of 1:20 creates an indirect but real constraint on establishment size." I am really not sure what the rationale behind that is. I assume the Minister of State means that people will not want to employ a lot of staff because it is a cost to them, but if somebody has 20 breeding females and each has an average of five pups, you are looking at 100 pups. That is a minimum of €100,000. It is a lot of money. This is big business. I do not think having to pay a staff member minimum wage to mind the pups is going to be much of a constraint. I ask the Minister of State to ensure there is a proper constraint on the size of these premises, which are essentially production lines. The only way to do that is to put in a cap. I ask that the Minister of State look at a cap.”
“As I said, we debated my Bill in the Dáil last December. During that debate, I agreed to a nine-month delay in voting on the Bill because I was promised by the Minister that I would be included and involved in the development of the Minister's Bill. I heard zilch - nothing. There was no consultation on anything substantive. I did not even know when the Bill would come out. When I hear from the Government that the Opposition never provides any constructive solutions, I will say that was a constructive Bill. The Government agreed it was constructive-----”
“In my legislation, I suggested a 1:10 staff to dog ratio and the Minister is including a 1:20 ratio. That is too high. It is one staff member looking after 20 breeding females, plus all their pups and whatever male dogs are on site. That is a lot of animals in one person's care, making sure they are fed and watered and being domesticated. Ultimately, these pups will end up in people's homes and it is important they are socialised and get used to being handled by people and played with. I cannot see how one individual can deal with that many breeding females and pups. A person could have more than 100 animals in their care. It is an important time in the development of a puppy. Socialisation has to happen at that stage and that ratio is not sufficient. Therefore, I ask that this be addressed in the legislation.”
“If we are trying to move away from being known internationally as the puppy farm capital of Europe, we need to curb, and have some level of control over, the number of pups being produced at these sites. The only way to do that is through a cap. I understand the Minister has said there are some legal concerns about it. Other countries have done it. I do not see why we cannot do something similar. There are not many breeders who have that capacity to breed, so I am not sure why the Government is closing an eye to the very large breeders. My Bill included a cap of 30 and I ask that the Government consider including that cap in this legislation. As I said, unless a cap is put in place, the integrity of the Bill will be undermined. It is fundamental.”
“I am happy to see the Minister, Deputy Heydon, is amending the Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 and is introducing some stronger regulations for dog breeding. They are long overdue. I am also pleased to see that many of the proposals he is including are proposals I included in my dog breeding Bill last December. We debated that Bill in the Chamber last December so I am pleased to see those suggestions being carried forward into this legislation. However, there are a number of glaring gaps in what the Minister is doing. The first, and probably most important one, is that no cap is included in the Minister's legislation. Currently, dog breeding establishments can have up to 300 breeding females. There could be 300 breeding females, plus all their pups and 50, 60 or 70 male dogs on site. That is a huge number of animals.”
“It can take their independence, leave them with limited mobility and bind them to their homes. They miss out on work, on family events and, really, on life itself. It is a gruelling disorder and we need to start giving it the attention and funding it deserves and calls for. We cannot continue to fail women when it comes to women's health matters. I ask that the Government put a large focus on treatment of those conditions.”
“My inbox was flooded in the past couple of weeks with people suffering from endometriosis or adenomyosis, which I was not aware of but which is a similar and equally debilitating condition. Symptoms are being dismissed, treatment is inaccessible and life is being made unliveable. Roughly one in ten women in Ireland has endometriosis. Many of these women struggle to be seen and just to be diagnosed. Often, their disorder is dismissed as simply period pains. A study a few years ago found it takes a woman an average of nine years to be diagnosed with endometriosis in Ireland. That is nine years of not being believed, of being in pain and of essentially putting life on hold. These are often young women. It is really not acceptable. It is a horrific disorder and it has a huge impact on those living with it.”
“Reproductive health and contraception should be accessible to all; there should not be any barriers, particularly for women from marginalised or vulnerable communities. I hope the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, will continue to review the scheme to ensure that happens. I want to talk more broadly about women's health. There is a huge problem with women's health, not just in Ireland but globally. There is insufficient funding, research and trust. It is not given the attention it needs. We are seeing some progress in women's health getting more attention but there is much more of a journey to go on that. Women are left suffering from invisible illnesses for years without diagnosis, treatment or even being believed. The best example of that is endometriosis.”
“I welcome the Bill. It is great to see progress in the area but an opportunity was missed to make the scheme accessible to everyone. Similar to my colleagues, one of the main issues I have is the age scope of the Bill. I am glad the national women's health action plan includes a commitment to expanding the age scope but this needs to be a firm commitment and it needs to happen sooner rather than later. We need free contraceptives to be offered to women of all ages. The National Women's Council of Ireland undertook a survey of 500 women that was published this year. It found one in three still faces barriers to accessing the free contraceptive scheme - women in the Traveller community, women from migrant communities, women with disabilities.”
“As a family member, you wonder if the person is getting care, whether they are being fed properly and whether they are being looked after. There is no visibility. There is a dementia care home in Shankill that a lot of people from my constituency use, St. Joseph's. It is incredible. I visited it recently. You walk in and the place is bright and friendly, there are no smells and everyone is really happy and content. When we were going into a room, a staff member said, "When I go in, I have to talk to every person in this room." That is a rule there. The staff do not go into a room without engaging with every single person. It is simple things like that. The home has a volunteer programme, with 120 people volunteering to paint murals, hold day centres and serve coffees. It is fabulous but they get no funding for it. It is all fundraising.”
“It is really important that no matter what stage of that journey someone is at, the right supports are available. What is needed at early onset is very different from what is needed at later stages. It is important we remember that. We were really lucky; we managed to keep Dad at home and he passed at home. We were very blessed for that, but I have seen and experienced that residential care is sometimes really good and sometimes it is not so good. As a family member, when you walk away from the doors of a nursing home, a lot of the time you do not know what is happening behind the doors. When you leave a loved one behind you in those homes, you do not know. They cannot tell you what is going on. The quality of nursing care and governance is just so important.”
“This debate today is really important. I think every family in this country will to some degree have experienced dementia and the difficulties and challenges people face when they get that diagnosis. I have a lot of personal experience with it. My father had vascular dementia, my father-in-law had Alzheimer's and my mother-in-law also has vascular dementia. I know how difficult it is from the point when you get the diagnosis and how scary it is. Not just the person who got the diagnosis but their family are trying to navigate what it means for them, what care is available, when they will need the care, what kind of care and how the disease can be slowed down. It is a very scary journey. For the person with the diagnosis and sometimes the families as well, it is a very lonely journey and it can be quite a confusing one.”
“The CSO reported today that electricity consumption by data centres is at a record high of 23%. That is 10% higher than it was in the previous year. It is forecast to grow to 30% by 2030 and if the Government's large energy user policy is implemented in full, it could reach 55% of our electricity demand. That means higher electricity prices for domestic users and small businesses, it means completely undermining our energy security and it means that we could face up to €28 billion in fines because we will have absolutely shot through our emissions reductions targets. How many data centres is enough? At what point will the Government realise we cannot continue to allow this unchecked growth of data centres? There is a cost to them. It costs people in their bills and it is costing the environment.”
“It would be very unfair to expect someone to vote against this Bill when it goes against every grain of integrity or every principle they have when it comes to animal cruelty.”
“What we need is for that voice to be heard in this Chamber, and not the voices of the very small minority of people who are making money from this or gaining whatever benefit they gain - I do not understand it - and that it is not those people dictating what happens in this Chamber and dictating our legislation. The majority of people want to see reforms in this area and want a Government that has empathy and will not tolerate animal cruelty. I hope that those people make their voices heard and that the Government listens. I know there are some TDs in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael who do not agree with hare coursing and I ask that they be given an opportunity to express their opinion, to represent their constituents and their values.”
“There is a very small minority of people in this country who want those kinds of activities to be going on For some reason, the Government has their back and continues to fight for that small minority, when governments all over the world are recognising that this is not something that modern society should be involved in. The Government and, unfortunately, Sinn Féin in opposition are also supporting it. I honestly do not know who is in the Government's ear or how their lobbying is so strong that it continues to defend the indefensible when it comes to animal cruelty. I really hope that over the next week every person out there, the 77% of the population of the Republic who oppose this, writes to their TDs and expresses their voice on this.”
“We do not say we are going to allow this to happen but this is awful activity on this side because it is illegal, while the legal activity is okay, because it is not. It is all cruel. He seems to enjoy his environment and appreciates looking at it but what is missing is the piece where he can connect with what an animal is feeling and whether we are inflicting pain or terror on the animal. As a nation I wish that we would start to put our principles at the forefront of what we do and ensure that we just do not tolerate any cruelty. That is what the public want. That is what voters want. I can never understand how issues like this, the fox-hunting Bill or the legislation on puppy farms get the support of the Government. It is not a rural-urban thing.”
“What it all comes down to is a level of empathy and what we consider to be acceptable in society and what we do not. I also want to respond to the argument about driving it underground if we do not allow it to continue. It is incredible, but in no other circumstances do we hear the argument that something is wrong but we are going to allow it to continue because if we do not, criminals will continue it any way. That is essentially what Deputy Kenny is saying. That makes absolutely no sense. If it is wrong, we deal with it; we ban it. We do not say we are not going to ban it because then we are just going to force it all underground. I completely agree with Deputy Aird. Illegal hunting is awful. Yes, we absolutely should deal with it, but let us deal with it.”
“This is what it comes down to - it comes down to empathy, as Deputy Murphy said earlier. It comes down to whether we can look at a wild creature and feel that we should not torture it or inflict any level of pain or stress where we can avoid it. I am not talking about hunting for food purposes or any of that. I am talking about hunting for sport. For creatures like the hare, I just do not understand how anyone can be happy that their entertainment is worth more than putting a creature like that through a level of pain. I do not think it is a ridiculous argument to compare it to a domestic animal. I really do not.”
“I really appreciate that he was sharing posts about protecting our dogs in this heat and making sure they have enough water. Would he be happy if his family puppy or cat were being chased around by greyhounds so that other people could bet on them? These are living creatures. The Minister of State is laughing at me now.”
“In this House we need to really start thinking about what should happen naturally and what should not happen; what we accept as a country and what we are going to stand up and say we do not accept. We do not accept a situation where, for the entertainment of a very small minority of the population, we are going to allow this cruel activity to happen. It is unnatural and it is unnecessary. The sport can continue if we put in an alternative, such as the lure. If people want the greyhound industry to keep operating and people to be able to go down and enjoy seeing greyhounds chase something, let it chase the lure. Why does it need to be a live animal? How can anyone possibly get pleasure or entertainment from that? I had a quick look at the Facebook page of the Minister of State, Deputy Collins.”
“The buzzard plays an equally important role in that food web as the hare plays. We do not want, if at all possible, to interrupt that process. What is not part of the natural ecological process is for humans to go out and pluck these hares, which are solitary beings, and to cage them with a number of other hares in a completely unnatural environment and then to stress them by getting them chased by dogs and have them fear for their lives. Earlier on it sounded like Government TDs were saying that the hare actually enjoys this; this is what they were built for; they love it; they really enjoy going out onto the course and trying to avoid the dog. That is just a ridiculous concept. Of course they do not enjoy being chased and fearing that they are going to be eaten.”
“Some 77% of Irish people favour a ban on hare coursing. The reason they want to see a ban on hare coursing is, simply put, that it is cruel. It is completely unnatural to pull a wild animal from their environment, to cage it for weeks and put it out in front of a greyhound and essentially let it run for its life. To do that and to call it a sport is probably one of the things that I have most difficulty with. We need to have a conversation about it. I have been listening to the debate. We need to have a conversation about natural, ecological processes in this House versus human intervention and using wild animals and being cruel to them for entertainment. The reason we have buzzards hunting hares is because they are meant to. They are part of the system. They are part of the food web.”
“I want to see people's electricity prices come down and I want to see us using the renewable electricity we can produce for the benefit of people in this country. EnergyCloud has examined this issue in detail, of the scale of surplus electricity on the grid. It has proposed mechanisms through which the wasted energy could be redirected, and its work has formed the basis of much of this Bill. I would like to thank EnergyCloud for its advocacy on this really important issue and for its support in the development of this Bill. This Bill is really an opportunity for us all as legislators and as representatives of our communities to support households, to tackle energy poverty, to reduce waste and to make better use of the renewable resources that are available to us.”
“In short, this Bill would force the Minister to do something with that energy, such as to provide it to households at low cost or to people at risk of energy poverty for free. The Bill itself prioritises vulnerable households, those at risk of energy poverty, and community benefit projects. This is not a new idea, nor is it the first Bill to come to the Dáil on the issue of renewable energy wastage. Two Fianna Fáil TDs brought one forward about two years ago, the Energy Poverty Reduction (Use of Surplus Renewable Energy) Bill 2025. This issue is clearly recognised across parties and there are even provisions for it in the programme for Government. I really hope this Bill will receive cross party support but not just support. I want to see this Bill actioned.”
“We could have every immersion in the country programmed to switch on at night and use that energy. We could do it the way Germany does it, by using electric vehicles as quasi batteries to store the energy. We could indeed just put large-scale batteries on every wind farm to store that energy rather than wasting it. The technology is there but the Government, for some reason, is stubbornly refusing to actually consider it. The Prevention of Energy Wastage Bill 2026 seeks to address this issue and prevent that electricity wastage from happening. This Bill amends the climate Act to provide a statutory basis for the utilisation of renewable electricity that would otherwise be wasted due to electricity system curtailment or constraint.”
“In some cases, this is due to limitations on the grid while in others it is because the wider electricity system cannot absorb the energy safely. No matter the reason, renewable energy that could be used is being thrown away. This costs us approximately €500 million per year and, amazingly, some of that actually ends up being paid through individual electricity bills. While people in Ireland are in arrears on their bills, struggling to make ends meet, and faced with the highest electricity prices in Europe, they are also paying to switch wind farms off. There is something really wrong with a system where renewable energy is being wasted while people struggle to heat their homes, and I think that is something we could all probably agree on. Now, there are ways of dealing with this.”
“For the average household, this will add €138 to their electricity bill. Electric Ireland has about 1.1 million customers across the State, so a huge number of people are going to be impacted by this price hike. At this point, it is well known that Ireland has the highest electricity prices in Europe, with us paying 40% more than the EU average. This usually costs around €480 per year for an average household. People across the country are really struggling to make ends meet and, considering these figures, it is not hard to see why. Yet, at the very same time, huge amounts of renewable energy are just being wasted. There are wind turbines all over this country that are being switched off because our electricity grid cannot manage the energy that they would be producing.”
“I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 to provide for the utilisation of curtailed and constrained renewable electricity in order to support the achievement of the national climate objective and carbon budgets, to advance a just transition, and to reduce energy poverty by facilitating access to lowercost renewable electricity for eligible electricity customers; and to provide for related matters. This Bill has a very simple objective. It is to stop the wastage of renewable energy and help people reduce their electricity bills. One in seven households is in arrears on their electricity bills and, as of yesterday, electricity has gone up again, with Electric Ireland, the State’s largest energy provider, putting its prices up by 8%.”
“Is there funding for this service? If there is not, could the Tánaiste ensure that funding is provided? I think it would cost approximately €80,000 to get that really vital service up and running from this coming September until when the longer term funding comes into place.”
“I am trying my absolute best to find out what has happened to the 119 bus service from Glendalough, through Roundwood to Bray. It was meant to start last September, as the Tánaiste is aware. One month ago his office told constituents that the service was financed, sanctioned and overdue and that it would come into operation very soon and that there should be a firm date in the next week. That was a month ago. As recently as yesterday I had confirmation from the National Transport Authority, NTA, that there is no money for that service and that is why it has not begun. The Minister for Transport told me a couple of weeks ago that he hoped it would start early in 2027. It was meant to start last September. Similar bus routes in Ennis and Mullingar did start when they were meant to start. I am not sure why the 119 has not started.”
“What we do not want is that the next generation of children will only experience the species that are in that document through the pages of that document. They need to be able to experience them in the wild and that will happen only through an Act of protection that the Minister can afford them.”
“It is clear that the illustrations are beautiful but we need to do a lot more for those particular species. I hope that when the Minister, all the other Ministers and all the officials are flying back and forth to Europe over the next six months and are flicking through their passports, they will be reminded of their responsibility to protect nature and the importance of nature to the Irish people, they use this next six months to fight for nature, environmental protection and funding for the nature restoration laws, and they do not allow the continued watering down of environmental protections that we have seen over the past number of months. We need to keep the environment on the agenda. Unfortunately, it has clearly fallen right off it. Even the speeches tonight were a demonstration of that.”
“I congratulate the Minister, her Department and, indeed, all of the artists and designers involved in the new passport design. It is a beautiful document. It clearly shows the importance of nature to the Irish people. Fifteen thousand people were engaged in the process of designing this document. The reality is we as a state have not been kind to many of the species that were illustrated in that new design. Our Atlantic salmon populations have decreased by 90% in the past five decades. One third of our bee populations are facing extinction. Whales, dolphins and our sea birds are still waiting for this Government to bring forward marine protected area legislation. We kill thousands of badgers every year, we hunt our foxes with dogs and we course our hares for sport.”
“Ionity charges 85 cent per kilowatt hour for fast charging and the ESB has put up its prices to 72 cent. Many people are being locked out of electric car ownership because they live in apartments, do not have on-street parking or are renting. We have a two-tier system whereby many people are unable to avail of the benefits of electric vehicles. It makes no sense. I ask that the Government begin regulating these fast chargers. We cannot have a situation where they charge whatever they want and there is no indexing to domestic or business rates. It is an incredible system and disadvantages the people we need to get into electric vehicles. Will the Minister of State do that and ensure that there is no price-gouging at EV charging points?”
“Those prices are skyrocketing because of what is happening in Iran and what happened prior to that in Ukraine. We need to move people away from fossil fuel cars and towards electric vehicles. Many people are making that change. In 2025, there were record sales of electric cars in Ireland and the figures to date in 2026 seem to exceed that. That is a good news story. We are moving people towards a more sustainable and affordable means of transport. However, at the same time that the Government is encouraging people to move to electric vehicles, EVs, and has a target of 1 million EVs by 2030, the prices people pay for a fast-charging or public-charging system are skyrocketing to the point where it is more expensive than running a car on petrol or diesel. It makes no sense. Those public chargers are essentially unregulated.”
“This costs approximately €500 million per year and much of that is being paid by the very people who struggle to pay their bills. It is going onto individual homeowners' bills. It is a crazy situation. I will tomorrow bring a Bill before the Dáil that will prevent that electricity wastage from happening. It would force the Minister to do something with that energy. It needs to be provided to households at low cost or to people at risk of energy poverty for free. It is being wasted otherwise and we are still paying for it. The UK is doing something in this regard and I ask that the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, look into it. It is really important that we address this issue and stop the wastage of renewable electricity. We have heard a lot of discussion this morning about the high cost of petrol and diesel.”
“One in seven households is in arrears on its electricity bills. Many have been in that position for months and cannot see any way out of it. Today, 1 July, bills are going up again. Electric Ireland, the State's largest energy provider, is putting up its prices, which means average households will pay an extra €138 on their bills. Some 1.1 million customers will be impacted. Everyone knows we have the highest electricity prices in Europe. We pay 40% more than the EU average and that amounts to around €480 per year for an average household. It is an incredibly large amount of money and we can see why people find it so difficult to make do. All the while, there are wind turbines all over the country being switched off at night or when there are constraints on the grid because the grid cannot take the electricity they would produce.”
“I also want to raise point with the Minister that we need to be strategic about this. He has to have the analysis carried out. In this instance, he has not done so.”
“We need to take these issues into account, because the Minister is not just making this decision for the next five years and keeping Michael O'Leary happy for the next five or ten years. This is something that will be with us for a long time. When it is done, the Minister needs to make sure that it is done right. There is an onus and an obligation on him to uphold all those directives and laws he has signed up to. It cannot be the case that he just closes his eyes and pretends he never did so or has workarounds, because it really just does not work that way. Essentially, it is stated in our climate objectives state that an authority has to have regard to them. I do not understand why the Minister is trying to override these basic measures and requirements that we have. This is something we will regret in the long term.”
“The State has obligations. The Minister signed up to them. He has agreed with our national obligations when it comes to climate. In fact, it was the previous Government brought forward the legislation in that regard. The majority of Deputies in the previous Dáil supported that legislation. We all worked hard to make sure it was as strong as possible. We have European Union directives to which we have to adhere. We must also adhere to and be cognisant of international law. In the rush to get these major development investments over the line, the Minister is really just pushing aside all those obligations. Unfortunately, it should not and cannot work that way.”
“I do not believe that was ever the right approach. The question for us now is what is the correct metric to use to assess the airport. I do not think that level of analysis has been carried out. I mention that in one of my amendments. Has there been an economic analysis? Are we looking at regional development? Are we taking account emissions, noise pollution, the impact on residents or on housing in the area? When making long-term decisions of this nature, a level of work should go on behind scenes in the context of carrying out the relevant analysis and gathering the necessary evidence. I just do not think that has happened in this instance, and I do not believe it was done in respect of the previous Bill we discussed either. I want to speak briefly to my amendment No. 13, which is in this group and which relates to our obligations.”
“Five years ago, I stood in this Chamber and asked for strategic management of data centres because the Government's approach of just rolling out the red carpet was going leave us in trouble. That has proven to be the case. We are there now. It is costing the State and domestic energy users a huge amount of money and is locking us into a very intensive, energy-reliant system. The position with LNG is similar. I do not think we have had a full analysis, review and evidence provided as to why we need an LNG reserve. Are there alternatives? Is there an alternative way to shore up our energy security? I believe there is. I do not think there has been the necessary holistic analysis of the impact that lifting the cap will have. I do not believe that roads capacity was the correct mechanism to use in order to limit numbers at the airport.”
“I was on Brittas beach at the weekend enjoying the weather and looking at the seven pillars out in the Irish Sea. There are no turbines on them because they have been decommissioned. The Minister spoke about the Government's priorities and where it spends its energy. It seems that this Government is spending its energy on pushing through solutions to problems that are being created because it has not done the work. The reason we are in this position is because it has not looked at the framework. It has not been strategic. Deputy Ahern referred to metrics in the context of his amendment. I absolutely agree with him. There is a similar thread going through this Bill and the previous Bill, and that is the need for robust analysis and strategic management. We have a similar situation with data centres.”