I move amendment No. 4: In page 9, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following: “ “temporary” has the meaning that a Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning shall be in operation for a limited time frame of 10 years only;“the Regulator” means the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities;”.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 10, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “ Expenses 4 . (1) The expenses incurred by the Minister in the administration of this Act shall, to such extent as may be sanctioned by the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure,Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas. (2) The expenses to establish a Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance a…

I move amendment No. 6: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: " State-led 5 . (1) The Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve constructed, operated and maintained under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning will be a State-led asset. (2) Any permission granted under this Act and all future Acts relating to construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of a Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve must be explicitly limited to a public…

I move amendment No. 7: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: " Gas demand 5 . (1) The Minister shall ensure that a Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve established under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning does not lead to an increase in gas demand. (2) The Minister, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, shall lay an annual report before both Houses of the Oireachtas which demonstrates that the Strategic Emergency Gas …

I move amendment No.8: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “Temporary and emergency use 5. (1) The Minister shall ensure that a Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve established under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning is temporary and for emergency use only. (2) The Minister shall lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas annually which demonstrates that the Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve is temporary and for emergency …

I move amendment No .9: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “Meaningful public consultation 5. The Minister shall ensure meaningful public participation, including— (a) accessible publication of all technical material, (b) community impact assessments, and (c) public hearings where significant local effects are identified.”. This amendment is around consultation. Communities deserve to be properly informed and consulted about infrastructure of this scale. This amendment provides for access…

I move amendment No. 10: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “Decommissioning 5. The Minister shall, within 12 months of the commencement of this Act, outline a plan for decommissioning any Strategic Emergency Gas Reserve constructed, operated, maintained or decommissioned under this Act and all future Acts relating to its construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning.”. Amendment No. 10 is around decommissioning. If this is a temporary reserve, which is in the name of the Bill,…

Just in case.

It is about having a plan in place for if or when we do not need the reserve and that it is not left up to the Government of the day.

I move amendment No. 11: In page 10, between lines 31 and 32, to insert the following: “ Review 5. Any approval granted under this Act shall be subject to review every 3 years.”. Amendment No. 11 concerns review, in particular, a three-year review. Given Ireland's energy landscape changes throughout time, it proposes there would be a mandatory review every three years to ensure the reserve remains necessary and appropriate in light of developments of renewable energy storage and interconnection. It is really just t…

It keeps us all on our feet, and it is not every year; we have given the Government a bit of leeway there. Every three years is fairly reasonable to ensure it is doing what it needs to and is not going the wrong way.

I move: “That Seanad Éireann: acknowledges that: - - rural communities are central to the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing of the State; - family farms, fishing communities, small businesses, schools, childcare services, community organisations and voluntary groups are the foundation of rural life; - many rural areas continue to experience population decline, reduced public services, inadequate transport links, limited access to healthcare, childcare and housing, and declining frontline Garda …

I welcome the Minister. It is great to have him here. I know he too is passionate about rural Ireland, and it shows in the work he does. This motion is important to each of us because it touches on every walk of life, including healthcare and justice. It is about rural communities and farming. It is environmental. Being from a rural community in County Limerick, I thought it fitting to lay out what we see as lacking within our communities, or what has been brought to our attention if we have not seen it ourselves. …

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive response and all the Senators who contributed. However, I am more confused after this debate. I think every Senator in this House touched off an issue in rural Ireland, including Garda numbers making our communities feel safer. We never once said we wanted a garda in every house but, yes, we do want greater Garda numbers. We referred to GAA clubs not having enough players, which is another part of it. Senator O'Loughlin welcomed the wind energy guidelines being released, w…

I welcome the Minister of State and thank him for being here today. I want to discuss school transport, in particular rural schools more than city schools, and the different reasons certain children would go to different schools and not to the one that is geographically closest to them. There is a school in County Limerick called St. James’ National School, Cappagh. Its closest secondary school is Coláiste na Trócaire, Rathkeale and St. James' National School is the main feeder school. A lot of children who go to t…

I thank the Minister of State. My apologies; I probably should have given the specifics but I have been back and forth to the Minister of State's office a bit on this. My one ask is that he might look at the criterion about the closest school geographically. The closest school for these children is the school they are most connected to, which would be Rathkeale. That is where their sports and social clubs are and where all their friends go. A lot of these children would have been eligible for and would have used tr…

I thank the Minister of State.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 10, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: "Report on impact of amendments related to Judicial Reviews 4. The Minister shall lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas within 12 months of the commencement of this Act detailing the impact of the amendments to Part 4 of the Principal Act related to Judicial Reviews and detailing whether the procedural changes have resulted in a speeding up of planning related Judicial Reviews or increased the volume of planning litiga…

I move amendment No. 3: In page 10, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following: “Report on impact of amendments related to alteration of existing planning permissions 4. The Minister shall lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas every 6 months from the commencement of this Act detailing the impact of the amendments to Part 4 of the Principal Act related to alterations of existing planning permissions and detailing the location, nature and volume of such alterations by project and local authority are…

To save time I will speak to sections 61 and 62 together because it is the same point. We feel that both sections will allow developers who have planning permission to request an alteration to their permission based on inferior design standards, which we do not agree with. It is not necessarily going to make units of apartments smaller but it will change rules around communal spaces and the amount of natural light that they have to let in. We feel it will make the apartments inferior compared with what the develope…