I welcome the opportunity to contribute on Second Stage of the Gas Safety (Amendment) Bill 2026, which I support. While essentially a technical bill, it is important. At its core are public safety, consumer protection and ensuring confidence in our energy system. When it comes to gas, we only notice the rules when they are missing. This Bill matters because it strengthens and modernises the legal framework for both natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas, and does so in a practical way. It amends the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, and it gives the Commission for Regulation of Utilities the powers it needs to enforce compliance with the gas safety framework. The Bill addresses an important gap by providing for safety licensing of previously unregulated third-party domestic LPG networks. In plain English: if households are being supplied through an LPG distribution network, we need clear rules, clear responsibility and effective oversight, regardless of who owns the network. There are several provisions worth highlighting. First, the Bill transitions the existing gas safety framework from a non-statutory, administrative basis to a statutory footing. Importantly, it also grandfathers in existing safety cases, and provides that the Minister and CRU can gradually designate activities into the new regime, in consultation with stakeholders, so that the transition is orderly and workable. Second, it provides a clearer structure for LPG by distinguishing different licence classes: class 1 for undertakings operating ten or more LPG distribution networks and class 2 for those operating fewer than ten. That tiering is sensible because it allows regulation to be proportionate while still being robust. Third, and crucially, the Bill introduces a real compliance backbone - a penal offence for failure to conform with a safety case or obligation. The penalties set out are significant: up to a class A fine on summary conviction and up to €3 million on conviction on indictment. If we want compliance, there has to be a credible deterrent for reckless or negligent behaviour. Fourth, the Bill introduces the requirement for natural gas and LPG undertakings to hold a safety permit and an associated safety case for any activity they carry out. This is a practical improvement because it creates a direct link between the activity, the safety case and enforcement, and it provides for additional transparency around active safety cases in the public interest. The Bill notes that it aligns gas safety more closely with the existing framework for petroleum safety, which is a useful and familiar model. Fifth, the Bill strengthens the toolkit available to the regulator and officers on the ground. It strengthens the CRU’s powers in relation to gas safety officers and gas emergency officers, including making provision for a court warrant to enter land and dwellings if required, and it clarifies duties and protections around the exercise of those powers. It also provides for reimbursement of reasonable costs where damage occurs during the execution of those duties. These are important checks and balances. They are strong powers, clearly defined, with safeguards. Sixth, there are practical operational changes that improve responsiveness. The Bill removes the 21-day waiting period before the CRU may serve a safety improvement notice on NG, LPG or petroleum undertakings. Safety regulation has to be able to move at the pace of risk, not at the pace of paperwork. Finally, I welcome the inclusion of provisions allowing CRU to prescribe near-miss or precursor events that materially increase the risk of a gas incident occurring. Waiting for the big incident before we learn lessons is a very expensive way to run a safety system. A modern regulator needs visibility on the warning lights, not just the crash. For all those reasons, I support the Bill. It is measured, it is practical and it closes real gaps. I also want to use this debate to make a wider point about energy policy and delivery, which, the Minister will be aware, I have spoken of several times in this House. We can and must do two things at once. We must keep people safe in the energy system we have today while we accelerate the transition to the system we need tomorrow. Gas safety is part of today's system but tomorrow's system must be built at speed, especially on renewables. Ireland has ambitious targets for offshore wind, and Government has repeatedly stated the aim of having 5 GW of offshore wind in development by 2030, with longer range targets beyond that. Industry, meanwhile, has warned that Ireland is at risk of missing the 2030 target and has called for accelerated delivery and clearer timelines. We need to be candid. The west coast is a huge part of our long-term opportunity. The Atlantic resource is extraordinary but it is not straightforward. It requires planning, ports, grid and consenting systems; critically, it requires progress on floating offshore wind because much of the west coast is in deeper waters. The world is not waiting for Ireland. This week, reporting highlighted the commissioning and installation of 20 MW offshore wind turbines in China. Twenty megawatts per turbine is not a rounding error. It is a clear signal of where the technology and supply chains are going. When other countries are installing facilities that would have looked like science fiction a few years ago, we cannot be stuck in permanent process. That is why, alongside supporting this Bill, I call for a renewed focus on delivery across renewables, particularly wind and solar, and specifically a step-change in momentum on offshore wind off the west coast. The last Minister for energy spent too much time tinkering around the edges and not enough time delivering solutions we need. If we get this right, it is not just about meeting targets. It is about energy security, reducing long-term costs, resilience and jobs, including in coastal communities which can benefit from ports, fabrication and maintenance capacity. I welcome the Bill. I commend the strengthening of the statutory safety regime and CRU enforcement tools. I urge that the same seriousness and urgency we apply to safety and regulation is applied to the delivery of the renewable infrastructure that Ireland needs.

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