I agree that this is largely technical. As the Minister said, it deals with issues such as the role and appointment of GEOs, their various powers to enter land, the 21-day waiting period, the determination of the form of a safety permit, and the transition or grandfathering provisions. I welcome the fact the Minister is committed to working with Deputies to progress the Bill because some more work will need to be done on it as it progresses through the Houses. On the surface, the Bill does look technical, with the 23 sections and key provisions about introducing the licensing framework, new safety permits, etc., but if you scratch beneath the surface and dig a little deeper, you find it deals with something more fundamental, namely, safety, including safety in our homes and the safety of our businesses and communities. Natural gas and LPG are used in thousands of homes and businesses across the country. I understand 12,000 households are dependent on LNG for their heating and a staggering 600,0000 use natural gas. For those who can neither afford nor access an alternative source to heat their homes, this is not just about fuel; rather, it is about their lifelines. If these systems are unsafe or fail, the consequences can be catastrophic and lives are put at risk, as we have seen on a number of occasions, particularly over the past ten years. I agree that we need strong legislation and robust regulation but strong legislation is not just about rushing something through and hoping for the best, especially when it has been the subject of considerable criticism from within the industry. The industry feels the Government has failed to address this. Therefore, we need to get it right. The system must be workable, enforceable and resourced. Resourcing is crucial and safety must not be compromised. There is no dispute on any side, following the Oireachtas committee proceedings of 2024, but that reform is urgently needed. Serious concerns were identified by the regulator, the CRU, ten years ago. At the time, 70 unlicensed LPG networks were serving apartments. The complexes varied in size from three apartments to 60 apartments, and from three houses to 64 houses, with pipelines. They were all operating outside any regulatory framework. That is obviously unacceptable given the safety concerns. Strengthening safety regulation is, of course, the correct thing to do. The concern expressed to us, recognised by the CRU itself in 2020, was that to make its new system workable under a new class of LPG license, it would need to establish a new regulatory framework to govern the unlicensed LPG networks identified, including through requesting the Minister to amend primary legislation to bring all LPG distribution network operators within the definition of an LPG undertaking, as the Minister has addressed in his speech, and also through developing a new class of safety license and operator handbook to govern this new class of license. The CRU also recognised the importance of consultation with experts within the industry. There is concern, however, that these conditions have not been met. Some industry representatives say what is proposed is not fit for purpose and warn that if implemented in its current form, it could do the opposite of its stated intention by creating new safety risks rather than resolving the existing issues. The gas safety supervisory body, GSSB, is responsible for ensuring all domestic gas installers meet safety standards through registration and supervision to protect the public. The CRU then appoints the organisations to this role through a tender for contract. Until 2022, as mentioned by the Minister, the gas safety supervisory body was managed by RGI-Safe Electric, a not-for-profit organisation which the industry said had the experience and credibility to fulfil this role. The contract was then awarded to Safe Energy Ireland, SEI, whose parent company is SPS Global. To ease that transition, it adopted the RGI logo, so it seemed there was not a huge change. However, some gas installers I spoke to said there was insufficient experience in gas or electrical supervision. As the gas safety supervisory body, its remit is also now expanded to cover natural gas and LPG. I am told that the first year under SEI management was highly problematic, with issues about ID cards, certificates, management processes, email systems and registrations. I have even heard of resignations by inspectors from SEI who joined to facilitate the introduction of non-domestic gas regulations, but felt they had to leave due to safety concerns. For over a decade, the CRU has promised to introduce non-domestic gas regulation, but the deadlines have been missed. Now, with the Bill going through, there has been criticism. Inspectors say there are gaps in the legislation. The Installer Representative Panel is an organisation that advocates for the interests of registered gas installers. Its mandate is to engage with the CRU and the GSSB to drive change and resolve the challenges within the industry, including ensuring best practice safety standards. Significantly, the panel opposed the CRU’s proposal on non-domestic gas installation in 2023-24 as it felt it was unworkable. The deadline was missed. Subsequently, the CRU revised the criteria document, sending it for public consultation, but it is said that key stakeholders, including the Irish Hotels Federation, the catering association and the restaurant industry, were not adequately informed about the impact of these changes. I understand the public consultation has not yet been published. The CRU should have amended the criteria document to include changes to registration procedures and new entrant categories. A dedicated body was expected to manage these updates, but we await its establishment. Similarly, a modification secretary intended to oversee document revisions has not been appointed, I am told. The CRU has also attempted to introduce electronic gas certification, claiming it would be operational from January of this year, but that is still not in place. When this was introduced for domestic installers last year, industry representatives claimed it did not work properly. Training for domestic and non-domestic gas is insufficient, particularly following the closure of the Cork training college, although I understand the College of Further Education and Training in Limerick still operates training. Efforts to promote an all-island training agenda, supported by training centres in the North, have not been accepted by the CRU. I ask it to reconsider and review that decision. There are serious risks associated with this Bill. As the Minister said, he looks forward to working with the Opposition and other TDs on it. We are waiting for the dedicated body, for the modifications secretary to oversee the document revisions and for the training and inspection procedures, given there is no recognition of prior learning, RPL, in place. These are the backbone of a functioning safety regime. With them, we hope that international best practice can flow. Even if the Bill were perfect on paper, we need proper resourcing. The CRU has been handed responsibility after responsibility, but it is struggling to meet its existing obligations. Rules only matter if they can be enforced. Without that, regulation is nothing more than window dressing. As I am sharing my time with other Sinn Féin TDs, I will have to conclude shortly. However, it would be remiss of me not to take this opportunity to mention one issue that is as fundamental as safety, and that is energy affordability. As I have mentioned, there are 600,000 homes in the State that use natural gas and 12,000 use LNG. They are being ripped off and are paying much more than in other European states. Up to 200,000 households are in arrears on their gas bills, which is one household in every three. Even more, 300,000, are in arrears on their electricity bills. This is the highest figure the State has ever seen. Meanwhile, supports have been ripped away and carbon taxes have been increased. Some of those who were vociferously against carbon tax, including the Healy-Raes, are now in support of it. Therefore, people are paying much higher prices for heat and transport in a cost-of-living crisis. Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Healy-Raes and the Regional Independents did this in the context of energy companies raising their prices despite the fact prices are falling in other European countries. What did the Government do? It did nothing. It failed to hold the energy companies to account by sitting on its hands and letting them off the hook. That is not fairness. That is failure. I once again call on the Government to do what is needed. It should introduce cost-of-living measures, withdraw the carbon tax increases and adopt Sinn Féin’s proposals to address the fundamental flaws in our energy system so that household energy bills come down for good. In conclusion, and to return to the issue at hand, we support strong safety regulation, and we support updating the law so that it is fit for purpose. I look forward to working with the Minister.

Sentiment score: 0.17

Slightly.

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