I commend Deputy Stanley on bringing forward this very important Bill and for all the work that went into it. It is imperative that we get action and that there is real and true balance for communities. Currently there are no protections for any communities throughout my own county of Offaly or the neighbouring County Laois. It is very unfair. Communities have no say whatsoever and these monstrosities of structures are imposed on them. As I will be discussing, there are serious health concerns and effects from the infrasound. All of this needs to be investigated thoroughly and there needs to be fair play. In terms of consultation and engagement with communities, it cannot be a tokenistic tick-the-box exercise. That is what I have seen happening. We are not fools. We can see what is happening. I know from my extensive engagement with communities from north Offaly right down to south Offaly that this is what is happening. It is a tick-the-box exercise and there are bribes thrown out to people in the community to try to divide it. That is what is happening. Meanwhile, as I said, these monstrosities are imposed on communities. It is my firm belief that issues such as this need and command cross-party support, with everybody working together regardless of political allegiances. This is an issue affecting all of our communities the length and breadth of the country. For the past number of years, I have been engaging first-hand and directly with so many communities throughout my constituency of Offaly and I am very frustrated and disillusioned by the lack of action. I, like many others and like Deputy Stanley, have called for the publication of those guidelines. I was elected in 2016, and I started calling for them to be published at that time. We only have draft guidelines. There are loopholes and there are companies running amok. They are absolutely taking advantage of communities. Are we here to serve those corporate entities that profiteer or are we here to serve our communities? I am elected, and I want to serve my community as do many others here, but it is about time we to started listening and acting and not giving the usual waffle that we are in agreement. People do not want sympathy. They want action, and they want proper protections. I will certainly continue to call for those protections. Again, it is rural communities that are being treated so unfairly by Government, which is just not listening and taking action. How long is it going to take? How long more? We all know that the Government can bring in legislation when it so pleases. We all know that because we were locked down more than we should have been in County Offaly. We were subjected to a third lockdown during Covid-19. The Government was able to do that, so why can it not bring in legislation to protect communities? It could be done quickly if the political will was there. I certainly will continue to call for it. In communities like Lemanaghan, where there is a heritage bog with monastic links to Clonmacnoise, we have Bord na Móna coming in and trying to impose a wind farm on that community. There is a community in Stonestown in Cloghan which is suffering terribly from the health effects of turbines that are very close to their homes. I am calling for action. There is a wind farm in north Offaly, and I have had farmers tell me that it is affecting the livestock. The livestock had to be moved from one field into another field well away with the wind turbines. It is affecting everybody. It is not just in one particular area. All of those communities cannot be wrong. They are not wrong. We need solid actions. As I said, communities are right to be disillusioned, frustrated, angered and, indeed, ignored because there are no protections and their rights are being trampled on. Communities like Lemanaghan, which I mentioned earlier, strongly object to the wanton destruction of their bog, not just from a heritage point of view but also because of the fact that habitats, flora and fauna will also be considerably destroyed. The fact that the 2006 wind energy guidelines remain in force pending finalisation of the review, which has been ongoing since 2016, is nothing short of farcical and, indeed, borderline contemptuous of communities which have clearly expressed the gross inadequacies of the current regulatory regime. This is why I recently called again for all wind energy and wind turbine developments to be halted until the guidelines are produced. As I said, why are we just letting these companies trample over communities? I have raised this matter repeatedly through parliamentary questions and most recently with the Minister with responsibility for the environment, Deputy O'Brien, when I asked him if he would provide information regarding the reports on wind turbine noise. I also asked him to clarify his support for increased protections for persons adversity affected by the noise. Again, I want to mention the community of Stonestown, Cloghan, in County Offaly. They informed me that 250 complaint records were submitted in regard to two Statkraft wind farms. They have been lodged with the county council. There does not seem to be anything happening. Again, their concerns are being ignored. As I said, there has to be action. I also agree with the residents who say it is high time that the Department of Health got involved. I have submitted parliamentary questions to that effect. I want to end to give others time, and I will do so by quoting the following email I received from a resident summing up the nightmare that they are going through with these wind turbines being close to their home. The constituent wrote: Another two nights from hell here the last 2 nights [were also hell]. Awake all night again, child here crying with frustration as am I, the embarrassment of having to put this down on another email again. The fact that the solution ye see fit is a simple reply email and no action just fills me with anxiety about another winter of this. The house is vibrating here again, I've damage all over the house from the vibrations as well as all my family being sick ... [over the period of time. This is something] ... we didn't ask for or [something we didn't] want in our lives and [we want for nothing more other than to be respected]. This person goes on to say: It is just so unfair to expect us to continue to live through this nuisance every day and [every] night, it's depressing as depressing can get and still no help. I've to try and work another day tomorrow on empty and I am expected to provide for my family with no energy and eyes falling out of my head. It's just not good enough for ... [us to have this] forced upon us here, trapped under the control of this crap and not being in any control, it's like living with an abuser daily wondering if tonight is ... [another] night again ... [that I will] lay awake. We're being traumatised every minute every day and no one seems to care, or do you have a duty of care [to us communities] at all? That should give the Minister of State a flavour of just exactly what people are dealing with and the way it is affecting their mental health and well-being and their lives in general. This is not a policy issue that can simply be ignored. It is having real-world consequences of the most awful kind, and I am very concerned about it.

Sentiment score: -0.02