Naoise Ó Cearúil
Kildare North · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“It was an excellent evening in the French Embassy last night, particularly with Michel Barnier, the Taoiseach and the ambassador. Notwithstanding that, further to the Taoiseach's meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez, it is exciting that there will be an Ireland-Spain joint action plan. When does the Taoiseach plan on finalising this?”
“Europe's task is not simply to embrace AI blindly; it is to shape AI in a way that serves its citizens in their best interests. That means investing in skills, digital literacy, worker protection and innovation. It means ensuring that creative workers, journalists, young people and ordinary citizens are not left behind.”
“A trusted European AI capability could support SMEs, public administration, translation across European languages, healthcare, education, research and democratic resilience. It does not need to be the biggest model in the world to be useful.”
“I will focus on the competitiveness element of the European Council and Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union because this may become one of the most important parts of our Presidency. Europe is at a crossroads.”
“Europe needs to think more seriously and strategically about sovereign AI capability. That does not mean trying to build an EU version of every major American or Chinese model. That is simply not realistic or within our means. However, Europe should not be wholly dependent on models built, controlled and governed elsewhere.”
“Ireland has always understood that the European Union is more than a market; it is a community of values. However, if those values are to endure, Europe must be strong, innovative and competitive.”
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“If no roles are available within that particular business, then they should be retrained to take up positions outside of it. What that would do is protect jobs and reskill people within the workplace as opposed to those jobs being lost and the people who hold them having to go on social welfare. One example could be somebody working in an administrative or secretarial role who would move into overseeing the AI being used to replace their role. Another example could be around data integrity and ensuring that whatever is happening is GDPR compliant. I have already engaged with the unions, employer representatives, the Taoiseach and Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, in respect of this matter. It is important that we set out the foundation for establishing a programme and a pilot scheme. I will explain that latter in a moment.”
“We have seen 700 jobs recently lost at Covalen and another 300 at Meta, so over 1,000 jobs have been lost in recent weeks due to the rise of AI. What I am proposing in this policy is that we focus on small and medium enterprises or large enterprises. As stated, we have seen job losses at the likes of Covalen and Meta hit the news headlines. However, there are many roles that have been replaced and that have not hit the headlines. It is a case of one job here and five jobs there. We know from the industry that this is happening quietly. What I am setting out in my policy proposal is that when a company is going to reduce its workforce, it should notify the Government and the national AI workplace relations programme. The State could then assist in retraining thee workers involved to take up new roles within the business.”
“Some piece of automation within a job is to be welcomed because it helps people. However, if it risks taking someone's job or role, that is where there is a challenge. What we have seen internationally is that there has been a 15% to 40% reduction in customer service and compliance roles, and also in the financial services element. I have written a national AI workplace replacement programme to essentially direct how we should help workers whose jobs are at risk or are impacted by AI. The Minister, Deputy James Lawless, has done a lot of work on a national skills observatory, and there are other elements, with the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth, having also taken many actions. However, we need to be proactive before roles are impacted, rather than after.”
“Having worked in the artificial intelligence space prior to my election to this House, I have seen the amazing pros but also the cons that come with such technology, particularly as agentic technology develops. Basic administrative tasks in the workplace are being taken away from individuals, allowing them to do more strategic and focused work. That should be welcomed. On the other hand, there are roles that are being completely reshaped, and the entire workplace is being completely reshaped as well. Up to 40% of tasks are at risk of automation in the next five years. That is not all negative. As I said, if we can allow people the flexibility to focus on more strategic work, that type of automation is to be welcomed. It is a difficulty because up to 40,000 jobs could be at risk because of automation.”
“I want to highlight a situation facing families in County Kildare following a suspension of the paediatric community assessment tool service in CHO 7. Parents have been told that there are no clinicians available, and ten families have directly contacted me. As a result, children who have already been accepted for an assessment have no clear pathway forward. It is obviously creating worry and uncertainty for families. These parents want to know what interim supports can be put in place, how they will be kept informed, and, more importantly, when we can expect the service to resume.”
“Ireland now has the highest household electricity prices in the EU. They are approximately 40% above the EU average. Households in Ireland are now paying roughly €480 more per year in light of this. When will the updated national energy modelling be considered by the Government, and will nuclear be considered as a part of it? We need to look at all options here to reduce energy prices for families the length and breadth of this country.”
“A lot of the time, it is due to stress, time and whatever it may be. Galway is a good example of a city that is growing exponentially. There is talk of progressing the ring road there, which is great news for the people of Galway. A ring road is now being built in Maynooth. In Celbridge, a second bridge is needed. Leixlip is completely congested as well. When we are building out and building more homes and communities in these towns, what is crucial is that we build the physical infrastructure, particularly the road infrastructure, to go with it. If we do not, then we have seen the evidence that it leads to bad driver behaviour. I would ask that this be considered in the future.”
“This is not excusing any of that bad driver behaviour, but what we have seen, in large urban settings in particular, is traffic congestion. I look at Kildare, Maynooth, Kilcock, Celbridge, Leixlip and Naas. Nearly every town in the county is growing exponentially and the traffic is growing with it. It causes great frustration to everybody. I think of young parents under severe pressure trying to pick up one child from one school and then get to another school to pick up the other kid, for example, if they are in a boys school and a girls school. Traffic congestion adds to bad driver behaviour. As I said, I am not excusing in any way, shape or form bad driver behaviour, but we have to understand the reasons behind bad driver behaviour. It is not just people acting out of badness.”
“What I would ask, and what I have not seen in the strategy, is that there would be a feedback loop from public representatives and the public at large. That would be extremely welcome and helpful to the work of the oversight group. The members of An Garda Síochána see the black spots and understand where particular incidents can happen. However, members of the public also have historic knowledge of bends and bad turns, which would be quite useful. That is something that should be looked at in respect of this particular strategy. Looking at the scope of enforcement, I welcome the fact that there is a focus on speeding, as well as red light offences and bus lane offences. However, this all comes down to poor and bad driver behaviour. I think we all acknowledge and realise that.”
“We see drivers putting their foot on the brake extremely quickly to try to avoid detection, with all the danger that causes on the motorway. It is something An Garda Síochána needs to be very reticent to do. It has to be admitted that it is bad driver behaviour to be speeding on a motorway or any road. However, I have seen instances, particularly in poor weather, where the location of the speed cameras can cause additional danger to road users. I ask An Garda Síochána and all bodies to be mindful of that. One point in the strategy is the establishment of the camera enforcement oversight group, which will be extremely welcome in its role in co-ordinating operations, data, research and policy needs.”
“I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, the NTA and other bodies in establishing and creating this national safety camera strategy. After a period of improvement and positive trends in relation to road deaths, which were 472 in 1997 and dropped to 137 in 2021, that trend is now reversing. There were 190 deaths in 2025 and 175 in 2024. It is critical that action be taken to improve road safety for citizens across the country. With regard to the new governance, the Garda is responsible for the enforcement of camera-detected speed offences. What is critical is that those locations be examined properly. I am thinking of Kildare, in particular the N4, and I am sure the Minister of State has seen this when travelling from Galway to Dublin. Time and again, we see speed vans in hidden locations, particularly on motorways.”
“I ask how the NTA and Dublin Bus are working together to deliver public transport for the commuter belt, Dublin in particular, and obviously Kildare and Meath.”
“Kilcock in County Kildare is the fastest-growing town in the county and one of the fastest-growing towns in the country. There was greatly welcome news that DART+ west will be extended to Kilcock, which is extremely welcome. However, the only bus service at the moment is the Bus Éireann 115 service. There have been many issues with it. Previously, Dublin Bus went to Maynooth. I am trying to get across the need for Dublin Bus to be extended to Kilcock. It is a wider issue for the commuter belt in Dublin, particularly those areas that are growing exponentially, and the need for additional bus capacity, particularly in light of people reducing the number of cars at home and how we are relying more on public transport. Dublin Bus has a bigger role to play here. I have met the NTA and Dublin Bus about this.”
“The HSE needs to look at this as part of a proper campaign. I think it would benefit not only the healthcare professionals - in this instance nurses and midwives - but also the State. The State would benefit greatly from experienced and knowledgeable nurses, midwives and doctors being brought back here. We need their experience and expertise, and our healthcare system would be better because of them. It is already better because of the nurses and the midwives we have in the country. I pay tribute to all the nurses, all the midwives and my mum for the incredible work they do in helping people. Nursing is the noblest of careers, and I thank them for their work.”
“That could involve assisting with securing accommodation, education, childcare - basic fundamentals in which the State has a role. Certainly, the HSE should be looking to try to help more Irish medical professionals to come home. They want to come home. We have seen the difficulties with people trying to obtain somewhere to rent or to buy. There should be assistance provided in that regard. In the Minister of State's constituency in Limerick, for example, assistance could be given to particular nurses who are trying to find accommodation in Limerick or in Clare. The same could be done in Kildare in order that there would be assistance for people seeking to come home, and that when they do come home, they are not scrambling to try to find childcare or school places for their children. It is the least we can do.”
“Looking to the future, I had a call last Friday from a young mum, an ICU nurse, who had moved back to Kildare from the United Arab Emirates, UAE. She had spent a number of years there with her husband and their two daughters. She had difficulties getting the eldest child into school. The child is going to a Gaelscoil now, even though she did not speak any Irish. She had to get grinds in the UAE. Then there are similar difficulties with childcare for the youngest daughter. There is an issue for my generation, in particular. I am 36. Many my friends and a lot of people of a similar age who moved to the UAE or Australia are now looking to move home. We need those specialist nurses and healthcare providers to come back here. There should be assistance there and a pathway for them to come home.”
“I have seen first hand with my mum, a single mother of four children, the difficulty she had, particularly with the working conditions, the late hours and trying to raise four young children, my three sisters and me. There are silver linings in how more nurses are coming on stream. I look at Maynooth University, for example, my alma mater in my hometown. Professor Fintan Sheerin has established a school of nursing there. Professor Sheerin trained to be a nurse with my mum in Clonsilla. That school has grown from strength to strength over the past year, and it is exciting to see the work happening in Maynooth University under Professor Sheerin's leadership. It shows that more can be done to train more nurses across all disciplines of nursing and all disciplines of medicine.”
“On International Nurses Day, I pay tribute to all nurses and midwives throughout the country, particularly in Kildare. We are fortunate to have Naas General Hospital in Kildare North, but many of the nurses and midwives in my home town of Maynooth, Celbridge, Leixlip, Clane and Kilcock work in Blanchardstown, Tallaght, St. James's and HSE service providers around the country. For a long time, one of those nurses was my mum. She worked in Stewarts Care for over 30 years. She trained to be a nurse in Clonsilla. The working conditions for her became far too much at one stage, so much so that she has now left intellectual disability nursing and has moved into special education, initially as a teacher and now as an SNA.”
“The EU is reviewing its relationship with Israel due to the ongoing humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the settlement expansion and the International Court of Justice, ICJ, provisional measures. The Commission is reported to be considering targeted sanctions on violent settlers as well as a suspension of trade preferences under the association agreement. Has the Cabinet committee on EU and international affairs considered these measures on Israel as part of the wider European context?”
“It would also be beneficial to have annual reporting on that €15 million to ensure there is transparency as regards where and how it is being spent. That would be extremely helpful in order to get a better understanding and ensuring value for money for the additional funding the Government is providing to the post office network.”
“Part of that is looking at extending the post office network into other areas, such as click and collect, and making the business more commercially viable, operating in the heart of a community and delivering services that would not be available if it were not for An Post.”
“The Minister of State and I agree the post office network and post offices, particularly in rural Ireland, are vital community infrastructure. I pay tribute to the Irish Postmasters Union for the work it is doing on behalf of the postmasters throughout the country and our party colleague, Councillor Tom O'Callaghan, for his advocacy as well. I appreciate the €15 million that has been allocated. However, the question that still remains for a lot of the postmasters is when the funding will reach the network so that they actually see it. I appreciate that the Minister of State said it has already been allocated but a lot of the postmasters have not seen any of it yet. Furthermore, what specific improvements or protections will the funding support?”
“Ba mhian liom ceist a chur ar an Aire Stáit uasdátú a thabhairt ar mhaoiniú a d’fhógair an Rialtas do líonra Oifig an Phoist i mí Eanáir. I ask the Minister of State for an update on the €15 million agreed by Government for the post office network in January, if the funding has been made available to An Post, and what projects and services the funding will be allocated to.”
“I welcome the Taoiseach's report on his attendance at the World Economic Forum, and particularly the discussions he had on AI governance with multinational corporations and a lot of the tech companies. We have seen today the news about the loss of 720 jobs at Covalen, a subcontractor of Meta. As part of the Taoiseach's discussions at Davos, were there discussions about reskilling and retraining for people whose jobs may be replaced by artificial intelligence?”
“We must prioritise renewable energy as much as possible. There have been comments over the past few weeks about an opening-up of the discussion around nuclear energy. We need to have that serious conversation. I am not talking about large nuclear plants but, rather, small modular reactors, SMRs. We look at Denmark in this country as a good example of how to do energy. It has done offshore energy better than anywhere else in Europe. Some might argue it has done it better than anywhere else in the world. Denmark banned nuclear energy in 1985, including research, but it has now changed that because it realises it needs to have an energy mix. What I have been calling for and continue to call for is that we review our nuclear ban. I am not calling for a nuclear power plant, but we must allow research into the pros and cons.”
“We cannot forget - this was also stated at the European Council meeting - that we must continue to stand with the Ukrainian people and not let any member state or changes to member states have any influence on how we support the Ukrainian people. This is a prime example. If that pipeline is reopened, it will have a negative impact on Ukraine and a positive one on Russia, particularly when we are trying to stall the limits of Russian financial ability. I mentioned energy prices at the beginning of my speech. The EU has agreed to a co-ordinated EU action when it comes to energy, but there is a need to accelerate the energy transition. My perspective, and I think that of most people in this House, is that we must do it in a sustainable and renewable way, including onshore and offshore wind and solar energy.”
“As the Minister of State will be aware, the election of Péter Magyar in Hungary and the end of the autocratic rule of Viktor Orbán was discussed at the recent European Council meeting. The huge mandate Mr. Magyar received signifies an end to autocracy and that Hungary is open to democracy. There have been some developments in Hungary since the new Prime Minister came into place, however. I refer to his comments that the Druzhba pipeline with Russia should open and the feelings of the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskyy in that regard. We need to look at some of these comments quite carefully.”
“Mar is eol don Aire Stáit, tá an domhan athraithe go hiomlán, go háirithe anseo san Eoraip. Nuair a smaoiníonn muid faoi chúrsaí fuinnimh, is léir go bhfuil athraithe móra ann. Tá siad le feiceáil i gcomhthéacs na hIaráine agus an tionchar atá ag an gcoimhlint sin ar an Eoraip agus ar Éirinn. When we speak of international conflict, we have to recognise the impact it has from both a European and Irish context. Increased oil and energy prices are connected to it. That needs to be recognised, particularly when we are debating in this House. We need to acknowledge that increased fuel and energy costs are Europe wide and worldwide. They do not affect Ireland alone. The Government has taken severe and serious steps in trying to address the issues in Ireland.”
“Maybe it does not seem like a huge issue to a lot of people but for those going through special education, particularly with the increase in special classes in mainstream, it will become more of an issue. It is just about due recognition for hard work and the effort made by the students, their families and the school community.”
“We can all identify problems, but actually identifying the solutions is the key aspect we should be doing a little bit more of as public representatives. The first solution I have is automatic certification, that is, introducing a centrally triggered junior certificate profile of achievement process for all junior cycle students, including level 1 and level 2. The second is a clear national certificate to develop a recognisable certificate of junior cycle completion for level 1 and 2 pathways, issued directly by the Department. Finally, we need a review for parity of esteem to examine junior cycle certification arrangements in special schools and address the perceived structural inequality. Those three steps would go a long way to solving this.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his response and, indeed, as I mentioned at the beginning, his hard work in this area. There has been a marked improvement in special education in the country since he took on the role as Minister of State for special education. I commend him on that. I want to thank him as well for his continued engagement because I have been raising issues with him continuously and he has always engaged in an open, fair and constructive way, and I think many people across the House will say the same. I am not going to go over to previous points but what I would like to do and as I always do on a Topical Issue matter, parliamentary question or oral parliamentary questions, is try to come up with proposed solutions.”
“Now that we see the increased opening of special classes in mainstream secondary schools, it is important for those students to feel equal to their peers in the year. Ensuring they have a certificate to show that is part of it. As I said, it would mean they could go into meaningful employment in the future and have something to show for it.”
“It is about due process, fairness, equality and recognising the work and effort of the students, the staff and the families who have helped the students get to that point. There are some other concerns about some of the content that teachers have been recommended to teach. Staff have raised concerns about some of the material, which can be infantilising and quite childish for students who are 12- or 13-year-olds, or older. Those staff feel there needs to be more of an acknowledgement that every child's development and learning journey is very different, and that needs to be acknowledged. Some are more developed in certain ways than others, and that needs to be acknowledged. The main issue is that students deserve recognition equal in dignity to their peers. That does not only apply to special schools.”
“The Department does not hold independent completion records of the students who have completed the JCPA and certificates are not automatically issued. As a result, junior cycle completion in special schools depends entirely on school level administration, unlike mainstream settings. The deputy principal in St. Raphael's in Celbridge was in touch with me about the lack of meaningful junior certificate recognition for their students and the increased administrative burdens on school staff. We made a representation on the issue and the Department was in touch with the school one week after we raised it. Certificates will be issued to last year's students. However, it should not be up to the schools to issue certificates. It should not be up to me or anybody else to contact the Department about these certificates being issued.”
“All children who go to a special school or are in a special classroom have goals that are set out at the beginning of the year for them to achieve by the end of the year. There are some students who go through the junior cycle profile of achievement, JCPA. There is level 1 and level 2. This affords students in special schools the ability to have a level 1 or level 2 certificate at the end of completing the junior cycle. That is crucial for those young people when some of them want to go into the workplace in the future. It also provides a great sense of achievement and pride, not just for the student but for their families and the entire school community. At present, schools must manually generate JCPA certificates.”
“We have three exceptional special schools in Kildare North, namely, St. Raphael's Special School in Celbridge, Stepping Stones Special School in Maynooth and Sapling Special School in Kill. Indeed, the Minister of State met the school management of Stepping Stones this day last week, and I thank him for his work and engagement. It is much appreciated. In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of special schools throughout the country and, under the leadership of the Minister of State, we have seen an increase in the number of special classes in mainstream education. This ensures that children get equal access to education and equal opportunity regardless of their background and perspective.”
“On sports capital grants, a lot of clubs are crying out for all-weather pitches. Celbridge Town AFC is looking at an all-weather pitch, as is Ballyoulster. Ideally, every club would have one but we will try to be as constructive and strategic as possible working with these clubs. The most important thing is that, by investing in our sports clubs, be they soccer, GAA, rugby or whatever, we are investing in community infrastructure and the very fabric of our communities. I commend the Minister of State on his work. I thank the volunteers, parents and everybody who contributes to clubs around Kildare.”
“I initially thought that the then Maynooth University Town FC between Maynooth University and Maynooth Town Football Club could be that club, but Klub Kildare, encompassing the entirety of the county, is really the way forward. Two or three years ago, we had St. Patrick's Athletic FC and I thought "St. Brigid's Athletic" would be an apt name for a football club in Kildare. If we get the pathway right for clubs to enter the League of Ireland, it will be able to expand in a sustainable way. We have seen the success and increased numbers attending matches. This is really positive for the homegrown game and for the future. In women's football in particular, there has been an explosion, with Katie McCabe and all the senior women's football team being really inspiring in their match against Poland.”
“They deliver so much to their communities. I want to mention in particular Maynooth Town Football Club because Maynooth Men's Shed was at a difficult point last year when it had to vacate the premises it was in. My colleague, Councillor Donna Phelan, and I were contacted by the men's shed and were looking for a new site for it. Councillor Phelan approached Maynooth Town Football Club, as did I, and it was extremely welcoming. Now, a brand new shed, supported by Kildare County Council, is on Maynooth Town Football Club's grounds. That shows the level of community involvement by these football clubs. I also want to mention Klub Kildare. There has been talk of League of Ireland and its expansion. Klub Kildare has the potential to enter senior leagues and become a League of Ireland club.”
“Football and sport more widely in Ireland, particularly at grassroots level, are some of the strongest forces we have in building communities. Many Deputies were brave enough to wear the football kits of their local clubs today but I could not be seen to be wearing one club over another, particularly in Kildare North where we have so many clubs like, in my own hometown, Maynooth Town Football Club, Celbridge Town AFC, Leixlip United AFC, Confey FC, Kilcock Celtic FC, Ballyoulster United AFC, Straffan AFC, Kill Celtic AFC, Naas AFC, Sallins Celtic FC, Caragh Celtic FC, Clane United AFC and BBC United FC in Broadford. That shows the level of football throughout Kildare North. A lot of those clubs were established in the 1970s and 1980s when Kildare North started to expand and the population was increasing.”
“I ask that consideration be given to changing this and for a reconsideration of the planned increase in fees in September.”
“The school transport scheme is a vital support for families across the country and demand has grown sharply in the past number of years. There is a planned increase in fees in September. First, I ask for this to be reconsidered. Second, another issue around it is that for families living just inside the distance threshold, they have to apply for concessionary seats, pay the full free up front and still have no guarantee of A place. There is an additional issue with this. One family came to me and told me their child had a valid medical card and they were still required to pay because the exemption did not apply to concessionary applicants. It creates a gap where financial needs are recognised but not reflected in the fee structure.”
“What the Government is doing here is being reflective and being cognisant of the impact on people's day-to-day lives by reducing the cost of petrol and diesel and by ensuring that we have the flexibility and the bandwidth as things change - because things will change, and there is a likelihood that things will get worse - to step in. We will have the financial mechanism and the ability to support the citizens of this State not just in the days and weeks ahead, but in the months and years ahead.”
“Older people have been able to avail of it with a bit of savings. I am always conscious of the people who do not have some savings there and the need to provide additional supports for them as well. When we speak of vulnerable people in relation to the home heating oil situation, as well gas and energy security, it is crucial that in any future supports package, we look at a living alone allowance. When two older people live together, they have the ability to combine their pensions, whatever type of pension it is. It is far more difficult for an older person living on their own - their spouse may be deceased or they could be separated - to pay for a fill of oil or for their rising fuel costs. It is crucial that we articulate that supports are there for people who are experiencing difficulties.”
“We have to import most of the stuff. We are doing a lot around renewable energy, particularly onshore wind, but we have a lot more to do with offshore wind energy. We need to open our minds and perspectives into how we can ensure that we have energy security moving forward. It is about having a mix. We want to decarbonise, and we are doing as much as we can to decarbonise but we should do a lot more. We have seen the success of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, and the retrofitting schemes. A lot of people come into my office in Celbridge and I meet people in clinics throughout Kildare. We are helping these people apply for SEAI grants. The grant schemes for windows and doors have been a great success, as has the wraparound grant scheme. It is about extending that.”
“I have asked for a reasoned debate and reasoned consideration by the Department and everyone in this House regarding the viability and the possibility of nuclear power in this country. I am not talking about huge nuclear power plants. I am talking about small modular reactors, SMRs. They are about the size of a house but when we compare that to large nuclear compounds throughout the world, they are quite small. This has been adopted by many countries in Europe and by Canada. It is seen as the way forward and the way to address most energy concerns. We are looking to electrify the vast majority of our lives with electric cars and all of the electrical devices in our homes. Electricity and the generation of energy is already one of the biggest issues globally. We need to ensure our energy security. We are a small island.”
“If we can source far more of our energy in Europe, particularly our fuel, it will help with energy security into the future. I have raised the question of nuclear time and again in this House with the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I have also raised it in other places such as the Joint Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy, which I sit on. Many people in the media and in this House have questioned how France, for example, has been able to keep its energy prices so low. The short answer is it is because it has nuclear. As soon as I have ever mentioned the word "nuclear", people literally go nuclear. They completely cut me off. We need to have an honest conversation. I have not called for us to go building huge nuclear plants in this country.”
“We need to get real around what we are doing about our energy security. We also need to look at the mix of the energy being used, particularly carbon-based energy. Biodiesel and hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, offer alternatives, particularly when we look at home heating because, by and large, it is kerosene. HVO and biodiesel can play a role in terms of the mix people are using at home. It is a little bit more expensive, and that is something that has to be considered, particularly when a lot of hard-pressed families have to pay an increased cost for home heating oil. HVO and biodiesel can, however, deliver fuel to this country that is sourced primarily within the European Union. When we look at what is happening in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran, for example, we are being impacted by global oil supply chains.”
“In the real world, if anything was to happen to the gas supply in this country, we would be in serious trouble. We have only ten days supply in this country. Never mind industry, many people's homes in this country are heated by gas. We are speaking in this House today about home heating oil, many houses, particularly in the commuter belt in Kildare, Dublin, Meath and Wicklow, are heated by gas. We have to be completely honest with the public. When we talk about energy security, it is not just home heating oil that we are dealing with in this circumstance, we need to be cognisant of all types of energy moving forward. That is why the LNG terminal in Shannon is crucial to the energy security of this country. God forbid if something was to happen to the gas pipeline between the UK and Ireland. We would be in serious trouble.”
“It was done in line with European Central Bank, ECB, and International Monetary Fund, IMF, advice. If we are to do things in an international context, we have to do what is best practice and what is recommended not only by experts in this country, but international experts such as the ECB and the IMF. This brings me on to the entire issue around energy and energy security in this State. There is a debate ongoing. We went through the pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed liquefied natural gas, LNG, terminal in Shannon and there is a lot of opposition to it. I understand some of the opposition because we are trying to decarbonise our economy and I completely appreciate some of the arguments. However, we have to live in the real world.”