I move amendment No.1: In page 3, between lines 10 and 11, to insert the following: “Amendment of section 34 of the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 1. Section 34 of the National Oil Reserves Agency Act 2007 is amended by adding a new paragraph after paragraph (2): “(3) The Minister shall, within three months of the reduction of the NORA levy during the period identified in section 37(1A)(b) coming into effect, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report examining the impact of providing this reduction. The report should assess the impact on cost and affordability across different sectors of the economy including but not exclusive to households, carers and people with disabilities, those living in rural Ireland, SMEs and road hauliers. The report should conduct the analysis on a county-by-county basis, particularly focusing on counties with a large proportion of their population dependent on home heating oil. The report should also explore alternative measures that could be applied to absorb price shocks.”.”. We want to amend section 34 of the 2007 Act such that it will state that the Minister shall, within three months of the reduction of the NORA levy during the period identified in section 37(1A)(b) coming into effect, prepare and lay before Dáil Éireann a report examining the impact of providing this reduction. The report should assess the impact on cost and affordability across different sectors of the economy including but not exclusive to households, carers, people with disabilities, those living in rural Ireland and SMEs. The report should conduct the analysis on a county-by-county basis, particularly focusing on counties with a large proportion of their population dependent on home heating oil. The report should also explore alternative measures that could be applied to absorb price shocks. Earlier today, the Minister mentioned the national energy affordability task force. Clearly, half of the meeting must have been taken up with introductions because they would have probably forgotten each other because they have met so few times over the past year. The task force was established to identify and assess measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, but the plan in that regard is still being developed. The necessary urgency is not there. Having spoken to people locally who are dealing with renewable energy, I am aware that there are amendments that need to be made across the board. Recently, I met two people in Ballyheigue who had just bought electric vehicles, EVs. They are exempt from petrol and diesel increases, obviously, but there needs to be a more targeted approach. One third of the money that is set aside for EVs goes to people who have bought cars worth more than €55,000. A lot of money is being given to people who do not necessarily need it. Retrofitting needs to be targeted, as outlined in the amendment, to address more houses. There should be an assessment of the position of people who live in rural Ireland on a county-by-county basis. A lot of older people do not want to move out of their houses for a deep retrofit. They do not want to have the hassle of it and they do not have the money to expend on it. They continue, therefore, to use solid fuel and oil. While the warmer homes scheme is a good scheme, there are huge delays in it. I am hoping this amendment will keep minds focused in a way they have not been over the past year. In his opening statement, the Minister mentioned that an expert advisory subgroup monitoring global supply, etc., was being established. We are concerned that there will be extra delays with this group. The Minister said he had written to retail and electricity and gas suppliers, as well as the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, and fuel suppliers, to emphasise the importance of reducing the exposures to consumers. Sinn Féin produced legislation on this, which we moved only a few weeks ago, to give the CRU more powers to and strengthen the energy regulator's powers to investigate hedging strategies, anti-competitive behaviour and unjustified pricing practices. It would impose a duty on the energy companies. If the Minister has spoken to those companies, I hope he asked them to disclose detailed pricing data to the regulator, on which the regulator can then report to regulate the standing charges that are often used as an excuse by the energy companies. Last summer, we saw one energy company raise its prices twice, using the excuse of the network and standing charges. However, when one analyses how much these charges are, the increases amount to much more than the standing charges. What is often missed in debates such as this one and with the insurance companies, for example, is the need not only to make profit in the current year but to make additional profit the following year. That is the real motivation. These companies need to be held to account and there should be a prioritisation network. The purpose of this amendment is to keep minds focused in the task force and to have the Government hold the companies to account within three months of the reduction of the NORA levy. It could be reviewed one way or the other, but we should at least have a review.

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