It was great to see so many Members standing outside Leinster House today for "Walk Out for Women", where we showed solidarity with women who are subject to domestic violence and coercion. This year to date, ten women have been killed in Ireland. We have to think in real terms. That is ten families and friends who have had to bury somebody because they were unsafe in their own homes. It was great to see so many men and women standing out to show our solidarity with that and to stand up for those women. On another n…

I welcome the Minister of State. As a member of the Joint Committee on Transport, I am delighted to have this debate. As my colleague across the floor said, we have had months of engagement. What I took out of a lot of that was that this does not fall under the remit of one Department or organisation. Road safety is everything. It includes the RSA, TII, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Transport and the Minister of State's Department. Everybody needs to work together. I have to include local councils, which hav…

I welcome the Minister of State. We in Sinn Féin are not opposing this motion. However, we think it has been approached in the wrong way, and I will give the House the reasons. Social housing tenants have been waiting a long time for a scheme like this. The problem is that it just does not seem like the Government will 100% fund this, and when I say 100% I mean the demolition, the staffing, the construction disposal and temporary accommodation for the tenants when this is going on. The councils, if this is the case…

I welcome the Minister of State. I too am delighted to get the opportunity to talk on fuel again. We did not table an amendment to the motion. The simple fact is I do not have time to write amendments that I know will get shot down every single time. We tabled a Private Members' motion on protecting rural Ireland and it was completely rewritten to take out everything that we called on Government to do. My time is better spent by arguing what I think should be in the motion. I had hoped that by bringing this forward…

I did not say I was not bothered.

Did you think it was because I agreed with everything?

No, they are not. Our motions are not even accepted. They are rewritten every time.

I never said I did not bother. I did not use those words.

I will be voting against it.

No.

As the Leader knows, I have stood many times in this Chamber and argued and advocated to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel. I stood in Foynes for five days with the protesters. I want to focus on home heating oil today. There was a debate in the Dáil yesterday and my colleague, Deputy Doherty, brought legislation through. Home heating oil has never been reduced. Not one cent has ever come off it. It disproportionately affects rural Ireland because in rural Ireland, there is no other choice. There is no gas netwo…

I cannot fault anything in the motion. It is good that we continue to speak about the issue.

Yes, I know - shock, horror. It is not like me to stand up and not give out about something, but there is a twist near the end. We need to keep talking about childcare because there are still issues. We can keep working and working but there will always be. If it is not the affordable side, it will be the accessibility side. I can see it from all sides. I went through the childcare system with my own children. Fourteen years ago, I had to leave my job because I could no longer afford it. What I had to pay for my ki…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I am probably the only person who will stand up and not necessarily advocate for vaping but I will advocate against the banning of flavours. As everyone knows, I am a former smoker and a current vaper. I have spoken to many people over the summer. It is funny. When you are on a night out and you leave the pub or you are at a wedding and you go outside to have a vape, because we have spoken about this so much in the House the first thing people say to me is: "Oh my God…

I second the amendment.

I will break the Internet today by not giving out for the first time.

Yes, I am not going to give out. Regardless of what is said to me I am going to be nice today on our last day. I echo what is being said about everybody enjoying their break and the thanks to all the staff in here. It can be very daunting when you first come in but everybody makes you feel like you can do it. It is great to work here. I am going to end by wishing the Limerick hurlers the best of luck on Sunday. I am proposing that everybody in Limerick gets a day off on Monday because there will be mighty celebrati…

I second the amendment.

I am going to speak to amendments Nos. 2, 4 and 8. Amendment No. 2 makes it absolutely clear that the strategic emergency gas reserve is exactly that: an emergency reserve. It cannot become another source of gas for day-to-day commercial supply or market management. As my colleagues have said, we need to know what "emergency" actually means when it comes to this reserve. If we are establishing this facility on energy security grounds, it must only ever be used in a genuine emergency, as defined under EU rules. Amen…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 7, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: " "Emergency use only" has the meaning as defined by the N-1 infrastructure standard defined by EU Regulation 2017/1938 only. A Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning cannot be used for management of day-to-day energy demand;".