A lot of this comes from the admission by CRU that it could not have a prioritisation and had to deal with it on a first-come, first-served basis. At this time, when there are soaring energy bills and businesses are struggling with costs, we see that there are new proposals to give data centres access to cut-price gas infrastructure. The public cannot understand how the Government could justify asking ordinary families to pay more and more for electricity, heating and energy prices while facilitating further subsid…

Céard faoi Ceist Uimh. 2?

It is interesting that the Minister mentioned the task force because I wanted to speak to him about the recent energy price hikes and what resources he is taking to address those. What will the budget say? Will there be an energy credit? Will the Minister commit that there will be no carbon tax increases? What other supports will be available for households facing soaring heating costs this winter?

The Minister mentioned some of the schemes like retrofitting and heat pumps. Does he accept that he is way behind on his targets? There is a crowd called Centrica, which, when the State sold off the family silver 15 years ago, bought Bord Gáis Energy. Centrica made a profit of only €814 million last year, which was way down from €1.55 billion the year before. Its energy section, Bord Gáis Energy, made profits of €72.5 million. They are the ones increasing their bills. We know all about the geopolitical conflict and…

For the last part of this I want to focus on home heating oil. As the Minister knows, the prices for home heating oil have surged by approximately 60% over the past year. It particularly affects people in rural areas and people in older houses. A lot of those people have not had the resources or the funds to pay for solar upfront or to pay for retrofitting. They feel excluded from this scheme. People in those families need relief, which means reducing or removing the carbon tax on this home heating oil and reintrod…

What additional measures is the Minister taking to address the fact the EPA recently stated emissions are falling far too slowly? Will he make a statement on the matter?

My question was on what additional measures the Minister will be taking. He knows that many people feel excluded. In my view, there is not a just transition because people cannot afford to get on a lot of these schemes. There is the risk of fines from Europe, of up to €28 billion, as has been said. The Minister also mentioned offshore wind. I spoke with developers yesterday who told me it is unlikely that a turbine will be wet by 2035. We had a target of 5 GW. Clearly, that is not going to happen. Will there even b…

I am not going to speak too long about the carbon tax, except to say it does not work. It is also not ring-fenced.

The Government gives the impression it is completely ring-fenced, but it clearly is not. Apart from committing not to have any more carbon tax increases, because people in poorer households are suffering much more than others because of the carbon tax, will the Minister consider solar energy guidelines? I ask him to answer this question because we have not got an answer to it yet. We see what is done in the Netherlands. It has a solar ladder that prioritises rooftop, followed by urban and industrial land, then brow…

Will they be in place by the end of the year?

I thank the Minister for the reply. We saw the Central Bank report yesterday and its concerns that the connection for essential infrastructure like energy and water are clear barriers to the delivery of essential housing, particularly social and affordable housing, and it takes up to four years now. We also saw the impacts of Storm Éowyn, which I saw in my own constituency. Apart from the impact on the grid, there was also flooding in the Listowel area. The Minister mentioned some of the projects that are under way…

The Minister says he meets them regularly. Is he saying the delivery of the projects are all up to date and on time?

I have two questions arising from what the Minister said. How far behind are some of the projects or what projects concern the Minister? What steps are being taken to get them up to speed? Second, on grid prioritisation, what is the Minister's view on that and will he support the legislation we brought forward yesterday?

No, it is documentation for me.

At first glance the Bill appears to be technical and administrative, dealing with databases, record keeping, data sharing arrangements and, as the Minister of State said, motor tax and various amendments. I know that other amendments are to come on Committee Stage and we look forward to hearing about them. Following the M9 crash, the Minister of State said legislation is being prepared, following discussions, and we look forward to seeing what the amendments will be. A lot of elements in the Bill are sensible and l…

It is not a priority.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Electricity Regulation Act 1999 and, for that purpose, to make further and better provision for the prioritisation of applications under section 34 for connection to, or use of, the transmission or distribution system for electricity, and to provide for related matters.

Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. Before I start, I welcome Saoirse, Nathan and Jax's family. Deputy Johnny Mythen has kept me up to date about the previous Bill and I look forward to supporting it on its passage through the Dáil. Before I turn to this Bill, I would like to thank Maeve Gleeson in the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers, OPLA, and Muireann Meehan Speed in my office for all their help in preparing it. When grid capacity is limited, as it is at the moment, the delivery of homes, public infrastructure …

I am sharing time. I will finish on this. This Bill recognises that electricity infrastructure is a strategic national asset and I commend this Bill to the House.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."