I thank the Deputies for raising very important issues and matters. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the pressures that households are facing as a result of high energy costs. It is important to say that the Government remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East, including the Gulf. Ireland has a long track record of support for international law and the UN and we continue to seek de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy so that these issues can be resolved. The Government is also very aware of and concerned about the pressures placed on households and businesses by the high energy costs arising due to the conflict. Providing supports to alleviate this pressure has been, and will continue to be, a priority. Recent days have shown more evidence of the Government taking action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy through the introduction of an additional package of measures. These measures come on foot of Ministers holding a series of constructive meetings with representative groups, culminating in this further significant support package to address the ongoing crisis. As somebody who was involved in those discussions on the Government side, I will pay tribute to the representative bodies, which did their business efficiently and had remained in contact with the Government since the first package of measures was introduced. When that package of measures was introduced, it was hoped it would address the significant impact being felt at the time. However, we all know that international energy prices moved in the intervening period. The package we introduced on Sunday, which was voted through the House last night, is in addition to the previously allocated €250 million in targeted supports to assist those experiencing real and immediate financial pressure. It is also in addition to the range of measures introduced in budget 2026 that aimed to help households with energy costs. These measures included: an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity, saving households up to €100 million per year; enhanced social protection measures, including an increase in the fuel allowance rate of €38 per week with an expansion in the eligibility rules, which I know from experience in my constituency office brought a lot more people into that support scheme; and a record allocation of €640 million for SEAI retrofit schemes, allowing us to target 73,000 home energy upgrades this year. This includes about €340 million for the warmer homes scheme, which provides fully funded upgrades for those in energy poverty. While there has not been any increase in the price of household electricity or gas since the conflict began, I note that there are a range of protections in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills. Anyone who is struggling with their bills is strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier. Suppliers will not disconnect consumers who engage with them. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has engaged with the four biggest energy retailers in recent months to ensure that hardship funds and focused measures are in place for any customers who are in difficulty. That is why I find it difficult to accept the suggestions of some, including a contribution made on the radio this morning, that it was a toss-up as to whether people would heat their home or charge their wheelchair. The situation is stark and grave but we all have a responsibility to share with constituents, consumers and customers that there are supports available, including hardship grants, and that the Department of Social Protection can provide exceptional needs payments in those crisis situations. Even when things were less complex, those measures were still there. There were people in better times who ran into difficulties for all sorts of reasons. The Department of Social Protection on the ground has flexibility. We need to encourage people who find themselves in those really straitened circumstances to seek the help that is there. In addition, the Department of Social Protection can provide support through that additional needs payment to help all who seek to meet expenses, including fuel bills but also at a wider level. Structural factors impact on our energy prices. Ireland is import dependent on energy, making it particularly vulnerable to price volatility in the wholesale gas market. Ireland's isolated island location, low levels of interconnection, widely dispersed low density population and reliance on fossil fuels are also important price determinants. Retail prices are also influenced by factors other than wholesale prices, including supply or hedging. This is the practice of purchasing energy in bulk ahead of time, protecting customers from the day-to-day volatility of the energy markets but also having long run effects on retail prices. This, as well as the current conflict, highlights why Ireland must reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels, accelerate the deployment of renewables and expand interconnection with trusted European partners. I suggest that is a better route to go than spending time, money and energy in looking back at the Barryroe opportunity, which nobody can quantify as to whether it has the perceived bounty that is being suggested. Considering the regime that existed here before in terms of very much encouraging developers of facilities like that over the past decades, nobody advanced in any real way there. I doubt that it is the bounty some would seek to suggest. I agree with many Members this morning who talked about advancing the case for renewables. The Government is very committed to that and has already begun a scheme. We saw the first wave of the south-east coast area that been identified with the Tonn Nua site back in December, auctioning 900 MW with three other auctions to come soon after. We are also developing a national DMAP towards our commitments for 2040, so we identify by the end of 2027 key sites that will be used for the capturing of offshore wind. We have invested very significantly in our grid. Between €3 billion and €4 billion has been set aside to allow our grid infrastructure to spend up to €18 billion by 2030. We are also working to ensure that households benefit directly from the renewable transition. Since 2019, SEAI schemes have provided almost €1.7 billion in support to homeowners delivering 250,000 home energy improvements, including almost 32,700 fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the warmer homes scheme. In 2025, nearly 5,000 businesses and community groups received grants to retrofit their properties and install solar. In fact, a rooftop revolution is under way across Ireland. A total of 155,000 homes have received grants to install rooftop solar and free solar panels have been provided to 2,000 schools across the country. This reduces energy bills. Where excess energy is produced, it can be sold into the grid under microgeneration. The national energy affordability task force will play a key role in how we address energy affordability in the period to come. The task force was established by the Government to identify access and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability. This will be a crucial element of the Government's work to improve competitiveness, complementing the action plan on competitiveness and productivity. The first report of the task force published last November set out measures for consideration in budget 2026. A key output of the task force will be an energy affordability action plan, which will identify a comprehensive range of solutions, including measures targeting households and, indeed, energy poverty as so many Deputies identified today. The plan is currently being developed and is due for publication in Q3 of this year. I reiterate that this Government is aware that people are concerned about energy security and energy costs at this unprecedented time. As the geopolitical situation continues to evolve, we will remain focused on ensuring that Ireland's energy security remains robust while endeavouring to assist those experiencing real and immediate financial pressure. I wish to address another issue raised by a Labour Party colleague, Deputy Ahern, in relation to the LNG facility that the Government is moving ahead with. That is a critical piece of infrastructure that is necessary to give us energy security. It is not about another source of fossil fuels into our grid. It is about providing resilience to ensure that in the event of a significant rupture to our current gas supply, we are able to provide gas to our key infrastructure, such as hospitals, and that we have the capacity to do that. I hope that all would see that. The whole programme behind it is about the State controlling it and with it being a floating facility, we are not building key infrastructure that we would beholden to in the decades ahead. It is aimed at providing that energy security. I thank the Deputies from across the House for their contributions. However, we cannot accept the motion and I support the Government's countermotion.

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