I thank the Minister for his time here today. I welcome this legislation - the National Oil Reserves Agency (Amendment) Bill - and its important and timely measures. It is being introduced in a moment of real pressure on households, businesses and our wider community, when we need a measured response. In recent months, as other speakers have alluded to, global energy markets have been significantly disrupted by conflict in the Middle East and the Gulf, a conflict I hope can be brought to an end. That is fundamentally the element of uncertainty here. When we wake up every day, we hope we will see the end of this conflict and we can bring some sort of normality back to our economies and the likes of our fuel prices. They are far beyond our shores, but nonetheless they have real consequences here at home. We have seen a rapid and sharp increase in the cost of fuel at the pumps, increased transportation costs and increased costs of home heating, all placing a real strain on our day-to-day expenses. This Bill is necessary as part of the suite of measures announced by the Government yesterday, measures that I support. I fundamentally believe they will help people as they go to work today and try to heat their homes, and will make a material difference from a Government perspective, considering the unpredictability that we talk about. The reduction in the NORA levy in the next two months will work alongside the reduction in excise duty, the expansion of the diesel rebate scheme and the extension of the fuel allowance. I support the element of flexibility provided by the Minister in the Bill. While we hope the conflict can be resolved, and hope for market stability to return, we simply do not know what the future holds. The Bill proposes a targeted and practical intervention, a temporary adjustment that reduces the levy for a defined period but also allows the flexibility for the Minister to extend it, should that be necessary. Today, we can directly lower the cost of fuel at a time when we need relief most. However, this is definitely not a long-term solution to energy challenges, nor does it replace the need for continued investment in sustainable and secure energy systems. If anything, these recent weeks and months have highlighted how important it is that we pursue long-term climate and energy goals and strive for more energy independence. The Bill maintains balance and provides relief now. It does not dismantle the framework that ensures Ireland's strategic oil reserves remain robust and secure. Ultimately, the Bill is about being responsive and ensuring stability. It recognises the pressures facing our citizens by taking clear steps to ease them, while preserving our capacity to plan for tomorrow. Under NORA, we are obliged under EU law and International Energy Agency rules to hold at least 90 days' worth of oil imports in reserve. Many constituents who contacted me this morning expect the prices at the pump to reduce overnight. If some of these companies were half as smart in reducing the price as they were in increasing it, they would do a service to consumers today. It is irresponsible how they are behaving. We are seeing price gouging. What we need to see is the CCPC being given more powers and resources to equip it with the necessary tools to address this as quickly as possible. I would like the message to go from here today that, regardless of the commentary from Fuels for Ireland, we need to see the prices reduce and be passed on as soon as possible at the pumps. Where we are today is a similar position to the one my county found itself in five or six years ago, when, overnight, a decision on a planning application showed that we could no longer rely on fossil fuels and carbon fuels. The Minister has visited County Offaly in recent times and has seen the progress we have made. That did not happen by accident. We took brave, ambitious and plan-led decisions at times when other counties decided not to because that was the easiest thing to do. We need to plan for tomorrow now. Essentially, what that will entail is reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. As for what we have done in Offaly, we have seen the development of a significant infrastructure of wind turbines, solar farms and battery storage. In January alone, with only 2% of the country's landmass, Offaly was the top generator of renewable energy in the country. Many speakers come into this Chamber and tell us what we should be doing as a country. Maybe they should take that message back to their own counties. Everyone should step up to the mark and follow the lead that we have taken as a county. That did not just happen on bogland or vast fields. It started in primary schools, with initiatives led by bodies like Midlands Ireland and Offaly County Council, and by individuals like Ray Bell in his work on STEM initiatives, such as VEX Robotics. Less than ten years ago, in Offaly, there was not one primary school engaging in any element of engineering in the curriculum. Today, we can proudly say that every primary school is competing in VEX Robotics. We have a situation where multiple schools every year are competing on a global stage at the VEX Robotics world championships. We need to invest in education and ensure that we invest in engineers for the future. That needs to continue right through from primary school to postgraduate. Even today, in committee, we heard from some of the engineering representative groups that we need a greater level of funding for postgraduate courses so we continue to see a steady flow of new graduates in the engineering space. One thing that should not stand in the way of this development is funding. In recent years and months, I have dealt with schools that qualified to go to Texas for the world championship of VEX Robotics but they did not have the funding, and they had to go to local companies or the local authority. It should be a no-brainer. We should ensure there is a scheme in place where such a scenario arises. Where extracurricular activities and subjects are contested at the global level, we need to get behind those schools and classes, and ensure that Offaly is excelling at the highest level. I recognise those schools like Tubber National School, the Sacred Heart in Tullamore and Coláiste Choilm, which made it to Texas and represented the county and the country so proudly. I also look at what we have done with regard to home energy upgrades. In the past five years, we have seen almost 5,000 homes across Offaly upgraded for home energy. This is a county where, in the last census, up to 50% of homes outlined that they had a dependency on fossil fuels. We are taking those steps. There is a step change in Offaly, and we are doing this in an ambitious way. However, we cannot leave communities behind. All too often, where we have designated spatial planning for renewables, we are seeing companies come in where we have not designated spatial planning. That is a total kick in the face for people who took a very ambitious step in recent years to ensure we could meet our ambitious targets. I ask that the wind energy guidelines be produced and published as soon as possible. With regard to home heating, I ask the Minister to look at measures like the blending of HVO, with a view to increasing that to a level that is sustainable and achieves our emissions targets, and also works for the sector, communities and homeowners. With regard to reducing our dependency on carbon fuels, I ask the Minister to look at a boiler scrappage scheme. There are hundreds of thousands of boilers that have been in circulation for ten years or more, and they are simply inefficient. Yes, the dream is to get everyone to an earth water heat pump or district heating but that is not feasible in many situations. I ask the Minister to seriously consider a boiler scrappage scheme in the time ahead. Greater recognition for wood pellet stoves is another option that needs to be considered. I am not overlooking what the Minister has done in the whole area of deep retrofit grants, where the increased grants have been very welcome. However, they cause disruption, particularly to older people. That is where I would see something like a boiler scrappage scheme, wood pellets or HVO being an intermediary as we move to where we want to go with this whole objective. As I said, communities cannot be left behind from a benefit fund perspective. In Offaly, there is €50 million in the pipeline for a renewable energy community benefit fund scheme in the coming years. We do not want to spend it all on sports jerseys or scoreboards. We want to see long-lasting legacy projects like community centres and swimming pools developed in towns and villages across the county. The Minister should use Offaly as a pilot. We are ahead of the curve. We are pioneering in this space to ensure we get it right for the rest of the country. In Offaly, coming from the bogland heritage that we have and the relationship we had with Bord na Móna and the ESB, we are proud of what we have done. We have stepped forward in the national interest. When I hear of companies looking to invest further in renewables, and they talk about the delays with EirGrid, the lack of response and the need to get it done faster, that should not be happening. We are in a state of emergency. We need EirGrid, as much as anyone, to step up to the mark to ensure that investment in the grid is developed at an expedited rate. We need to engage with companies that want to invest, whether that is in further renewable energy development or data centres. I am not going to stick my head in the sand and think that we can just move on and let this data go elsewhere. We see tens of billions of investment in other countries, while we are missing an opportunity to develop ecosystems in places like Rhode Green Energy Park in Offaly. If we can get the planning permission sorted there, and if we can get companies to row in behind it, we can create an ecosystem of economic benefit and job creation in our local communities. I recognise the €1.1 billion the Government has put together already in relation to budget 2026 in the area of energy. I recognise the significant billions of euro in investment the Government has committed to the grid. There is also the increase in allocation and eligibility of the fuel allowance and the backdating of it to January. When I talk about the national interest, I have to ask what Sinn Féin's purpose has been in recent weeks. Has it been to increase its ratings in the polls or is it genuine? I recognise the likes of the Social Democrats and Labour, which voted with the Government last night. However, Sinn Féin has proposed nothing in relation to the fuel allowance and has done nothing to support hard-pressed households in Northern Ireland. It has done nothing to get its calculations right. To come into this Chamber and claim a cost of €38 million per week when it was actually €3 million is irresponsible. Sinn Féin Members need to get their act together and realise we need to work together in this Chamber for the best interests of this nation.

Sentiment score: 0.27