Bhí mé ag éisteacht le gach duine.  Aontaím le go leor rudaí ach an rud nach dtuigim ná two weeks ago the Opposition was asking to collapse the Government where no financial measures could be passed and now it is asking for a mini-budget. We are in very unpredictable times and need to have a stable Government. How could any financial measures have been passed if the Government had collapsed as the Opposition wanted?

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I am asking how could the Opposition, after a general election-----

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I did not interrupt you, Deputy Kenny.

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I did not interrupt you either, Deputy Sheehan. A general election would take four weeks.

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I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach. If there was a general election in three or four weeks, due to the count and the formation of Government, there would be a long period when nothing could be passed. Is this performative? I want to show solutions. The Government has provided €775 million but it could introduce more supports. In respect of the 2024 plug-in solar report, in a response to a parliamentary question I submitted, six key stakeholders took a negative view of plug-in solar. I have requested the consultation responses and I want to see why those stakeholders would be against a system that could be bought in a supermarket such as IKEA, Lidl or Aldi and installed at home in conjunction with an inverter battery. This would benefit people. While I welcome the SEAI grants, the return on cost and instant relief plug-in solar would deliver, particularly for people in social and affordable housing, are much bigger. I understand there are long-term returns from rooftop solar and that it is a more durable system. However, in my constituency, apartment dwellers would like to see an immediate reduction in their energy bills. If the Government invested in a giant scheme in which these systems were bought in bulk at a reduced rate, there would be energy savings. If it also gave grants to people to buy these systems, we would see an immediate reduction in bills. I will continue to work with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I welcome the Ministers of State, Deputies Dooley and Buttimer, who complimented me on my work on this and are working with me constructively on it. I commend all of the Department staff who have been engaging with me because we need to move fast on this. The UK, Germany and the US are doing it and other EU countries have done it. We need to act on it. That is one of the solutions. The clearing house in the Taoiseach's Department for offshore renewable energy is welcome. However, having spoken to developers of wind energy and long duration energy storage, the people who will help us to decentralise our grid, these stakeholders need to see action. In regard to the private wires Bill, I have my own Bill which is separate from the Government's Bill. It was a huge priority for me that my Bill be considered ahead of the Government Bill because key aspects of it need to be taken into consideration for members of the public. A private wire that is installed must be proven to not have a negative effect on the domestic cost per kilowatt hour for Irish citizens. There should be a community benefit fund that is directly linked to the proportion of savings made from a private company installing the wire to the local community. There should be clear systems in place to give private households that want to install a private wire a timeline for when it can be done. This will save people money. It will bring in foreign direct investment and create jobs in Ireland. If we had a set timeline for FDI, it would be a boost for electricians, labourers, engineers and administrative staff. I understand there are people who will be critical of my Bill, on which I look forward to constructively working when it comes to the House. For cost-of-living reasons, we need to be less dependent on global fuel markets. This is where we have an opportunity to lead. As I have said before, the price of LNG rose by 23% in 24 hours. If we are looking for energy security, we need to look at what is already on our island and we can benefit from. We will not see the sun go any time because of a war in the Middle East that was not even started by our country. It was started by one of the most destructive regimes we have seen. If we rely on sources of energy that are here and will benefit the Irish people, that will make us independent. When, during the Second World War, Churchill tried to force de Valera's hand, we were energy dependent. If we were energy independent, we would become the creators and guiders of our country. We are generating renewable energy and then turning it off. We are delaying projects due to grid constraints. Why are we importing electricity when we can produce it ourselves? That is not just inefficient; it is costing the Irish people money. We need to accelerate renewable deployment and storage. The climate and energy committee, which some of the Deputies present are members of, is working constructively on that but we need action. We need to upgrade and modernise our grid. I welcome the Government announcement of funding for grid developments. However, in conjunction with that, the private wires Bill would work in parallel and create a better system. By using smarter solutions like long duration, battery energy storage systems, BESS, and demand products, we would help the cost of living, directly. We need to support local and direct energy infrastructure so that energy can be used where it is generated, thereby reducing pressure on systems and lowering costs. We need to electrify because we are a petro-state and we need to become an electro-state. Transport, heating and industry are how we should reduce our dependence on imported fuels. It is not just in Ireland; there are so many countries in the EU we can follow and this being Europe Day, we should be doing so. This is about getting electric buses, which can be put in more easily with private wires, on the roads. It is about powering homes with cheaper energy, supporting workers, creating jobs and making Ireland more competitive. We all heard the recent pronouncements on nuclear power. We need to have open discussions about technologies and I will discuss and debate nuclear power but I would love a cost-benefit analysis of nuclear and a timeframe for when it could be implemented compared to using the renewables that are here right now. Hinkley Point in the UK is showing the costs have doubled, timelines have gone over and delivery is complex. Currently, universities in Ireland are not teaching enough courses for nuclear physicists. They are not teaching enough courses for the technicians or labourers who would be working on these systems. If we do not have the workforce, we have to bring them in. While I agree with the key aspects of the development of small modular reactors, SMRs, we need to focus on what we can deliver right now. We currently have renewable projects waiting for grid connection. The Critical Infrastructure Bill and the private wires Bill in conjunction will speed up the gridlock and reduce costs. The slowing down of electrification is putting pressure on our households. While we hold the EU Presidency, we need to push for those things that we always stood for, including smarter energy systems and a shift towards cheaper electricity. I look forward to working constructively with the Minister of State. I hope this war ends soon and there will not be a need to bring in more financial measures. If we do have to, however, when we are knocking on doors in my constituency, please God may members of the Opposition be able to say how financial measures were brought in without a functioning government.

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