First, we support the need for this Bill but objected to the fact that there was no pre-legislative scrutiny. I hope the Minister will look at our amendments in good faith. The ESB must focus on the public good. The Minister will have heard me on several occasions, here and in the planning committee and the infrastructure committee, talking about the need to strengthen the infrastructure to strengthen the grid but that it cannot be just for data centres. We have to make sure that the grid is fixed. It has been weakened by decades of lack of investment and we have to make sure that we are prioritising the grid to make sure that we can deliver the homes we so need. I was talking in the infrastructure committee today where we had the construction workers in. I was saying that when you go away on your holidays, no matter how lovely the hotel was, when you come home and you get into your own bed with your own pillow, there is nothing like it, and we have now passed the point of 5,000 children being homeless. The Government is shameless. We have to make sure that by investing in the grid, we are making sure that it is for houses and not data centres. We have to treat energy as a public good and not just about increasing the data centres. In subsection (4B), we want to strengthen the transparency and oversight. We were not happy about not having pre-legislative scrutiny. We have to make sure that the ESB publishes its annual reports and spending outcomes and price impacts. Subsection (4C) prohibits the higher household electricity tariffs. I was talking to somebody a few weeks ago and they were saying that we used to have the cheapest energy in Europe and now have the dearest. It makes no sense. We absolutely support the need for investment in the ESB but we have to make sure that it is done for the public good and not to supply more data centres with energy. I hope the Minister will look at that and that he agrees there has to be oversight on the expenditure of public money in the ESB.

Sentiment score: 0.28

I am disappointed that the Minister is not accepting our amendments in whole or in part. About 21% of our electricity goes towards data centres. I think I read recently that was set to increase to 30% by 2030. In France and Germany, it is around 3% or 4%. We have to make sure that the increased investment in the grid goes towards the public good. More importantly, amendment No. 2 deals with €1.5 billion in public funds drawn from the Central Fund rather than borrowed. The fact that this money is not voted by the Oireachtas means that there will be limited scrutiny of it. I believe the Sinn Féin amendment helps to close that gap to ensure that there will be transparency and accountability in how that money is spent, and to ensure that the investment goes towards renewable capacity, network upgrades and the public good. I believe no funds should be used for new data centres. We just do not have the energy there and the data centres are insatiable. The more we produce, the more they look for. Meanwhile, we need to start building houses. Energy affordability has to be protected to make sure that households are not forced to pay for this through higher bills. I would like the Minister to reconsider amendment No. 2 in particular.

Sentiment score: 0.09