He has left now, but I want to acknowledge Senator Wilson and the officials he brought visiting here, representing Taiwan in their Dublin office. They are very welcome and I hope they enjoy their day in Dáil Éireann.
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Deputy Hayes should continue.
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Deputy, please.
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Deputy-----
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I welcome the measures that have been introduced. They were timely and perhaps they could have been introduced earlier if we were agile enough as a State to turn around, identify where the problems are and then deal with them but, unfortunately, we are not. It signals that there is a clear dysfunction at the heart of administration in this country and that we do not plan for the future. I hope the measures are a first step because when we look at what was given to the hauliers, and I put on the record that my background is in transport, much more needs to be done and we have to be able to change what we have been doing very quickly if something else should happen to push prices up because the cost to hauliers will simply be passed on to the consumer. It ends up at the door of the consumer anyway. Similarly, farmers produce our food yet they did not get the type of support they should have got in this basket of supports. Again, if they do not get support with their costs, it ends up with the consumer or it ends up in the pocket of some of the bigger supermarkets all over the country. We all know this from previous experiences but we are not translating it properly into the type of financial support that is needed quickly and immediately. I have my view on renewable energy and wind farms. I think we are destroying the countryside with them. Where are the regulations that were promised way back in 2016 or 2013? Where are they? We were told we would have them in the first quarter of this year but we do not have them. As long as that happens, the bigger companies push ahead with their agenda but the Government, which is responsible for the direction the country is taking, simply stands idly by and does not engage with this House here or with the communities that are affected in any sort of meaningful way. I have great concern for the elderly, those living in poorly heated accommodation, young families and individuals living in substandard apartments who must fork out more and more money for the heating systems in their apartments and are not getting a direct support in these measures. In reviewing all of this because it will remain under review while the war continues and the uncertainty is there, I ask the Minister to look at and support those that we know need greater support than what was given to them today. We should have a debate about nuclear options - about nuclear power and what is happening right across Europe. We are prepared to import it because it was produced that way but yet we are not prepared to examine it fully in terms of the State and how we should be preparing for the future. The carbon tax is another example of being driven down a particular route to suit Europe. We have a war across many countries that is affecting the world and I would say that in wartime, we should be willing to look at every option that is central to the upkeep of the well-being and coffers of the State and be prepared to make the changes that are necessary to make the lives of people much better. Reference was made to the retrofitting of homes. If somebody does not have the money to do it up front, it is a nightmare as far as red tape and bureaucracy are concerned. If somebody goes through the likes of SSE Airtricity and avails of its home inspection scheme, which costs €650, he or she will find that at the end of it, he or she will have a nice bit of paper but nothing else. What is being recommended is so expensive that there are many households that simply cannot afford it so let us look at those who do not have something and give it to them.
Sentiment score: 0.13