Jerry Buttimer: Calls for honest energy debate and renewables focus

Thank you, Seán Comhairle. First of all, I'd like to thank my colleagues, Cathaoirleach and Dáil Éireann, for this evening's debate and I'd like to thank Paul and his party for this very important debate. Deputy McGrath in his contribution at the end is right. We can't have this debate just seen in isolation and it's going back to Deputy Heenan's contribution in the context of the global energy markets and the turmoil. Could I make the point, last Seán Comhairle, that in this debate some people are running to the hills to have their social media posts up and they want to score cheap points and they want to do all the kinds of things that some people do, but that's not what this debate should be about. I appreciate Deputy Daly's sincerity in this and, you know, in fairness, I think if you're to be honest, I made a point last week here, last Seán Comhairle, our words do matter and language does matter and I pose the question to all of us in this chamber tonight and we all accept there are too many people in uncertainty around energy and in terms of being in arrears in their bills, but can I ask the question to the members of the house, how many people in Ireland were disconnected? How many? Come back to me. And how does it happen that people are disconnected? And I would make the point as a practising politician who has people in my office, who meets people, who doesn't live in an ivory tower and who understands the frustration articulated by many in this chamber, how is it that people are in arrears, not in arrears but disconnected? Could I make the point tonight to all of us? Our language does matter and people listen to us and for somebody to be disconnected there has to be no engagement whatever with the energy supplier. So let's be real and be honest, if we engage as an advocate or if we engage with a person in arrears with an energy company there won't be disconnection and we've all been that advocate, that person working for the vulnerable person. So let's be clear about that now and don't come in here tonight and castigate some of us as being uncaring and unkind because we're not. We understand full well but there's a new and and nobody last count called and mentioned the moratorium and disconnections. Nobody in the debate. And I wonder why? And I fully accept that people are favourable and I share the views of many expressed in the house tonight here that there needs to be greater transparency around the pricing structure in terms of bills so that people can understand. Because if you sit down in an office or in a person's home and talk and engage with them it's one of the comments that is communicated and is made quite clear. People came into the chamber tonight on some sections of the house like Confetti the Wake speaking about the profiteering and the high profits. Could I ask people to read the CRU's report from yesterday around profitability and what it said? And I'd ask my members to do that because they said there was no energy, no evidence of energy companies profiteering. But there was a question as part of the report in terms of the profit margin and further examination needed. That goes back to my fundamental point last count caller our words do matter and we do have an ability to lead as members and that's why I think to be fair to Deputy Daly in what his contribution was and what he's trying to do here it is that to be fair to and I readily accept that. The minister in his reply at the beginning of the debate outlined in his the reasons why government are opposing that and I won't go through that here tonight last count caller. But I think what the minister did say was that government was committed to doing was putting in place a well-funded energy market and tackling energy affordability. And I repeat the point tonight none of us in this chamber at least I don't believe want to have people struggling in terms of their ability to pay or their ability to be engaged with the energy companies and suppliers. And I totally understand the frustration of people and the annoyance of people but as part of the overarching debate that we don't seem to have done is to speak about and to move as we should do away from fossil fuel dependency. And I was at the Cork development forum yesterday in Cork last count caller and we got a paper on Cork's energy grid or current capacity future opportunities and I think we all need to have that conversation about the future of our energy supply. And indeed I very much welcome that opportunity to discuss the commission for regulation of utilities in terms of energy markets. And can I also make the point as part of my conclusion to the debate that government is deeply committed to ensuring that the CAU can effectively monitor and regulate electricity and gas prices and suppliers to ensure the best outcome for the customer. That's at the very heart of what I want to be as a person in this chamber last count caller representing people is to ensure like many in this house have done in terms of that energy affordability and I think that's important that we do. Equally I think it's important that if you look at what government have done and if you listen to some of the contributions last count caller you'd say government did nothing. And I'll take the criticism any day of the week around being late, being slow, being whatever, but we did act. There was action. There was the VAT reduction, there was the multiple rounds of energy credits, there's been the extra protections given to consumers and customers since 2022. And nobody other than the minister made reference to the fact that is part of the debate that we're now getting 49% of electricity from renewables moving away from the fossil fuel dependency. And I think the important point for me last count caller is that we need to continue to do more of that as a country and as a people. And if we're honest and we had a consternation last week about the Taoiseach and Deputy O'Connor's intervention around nuclear energy yet we're getting nuclear energy coming into connector pipe. And we need to look at the whole structural factors around our energy prices and that's why I welcome the debate tonight. And I know I'm repeating myself but that's why I think this debate has been important because it gives us that opportunity. And at its very core last count caller we are too energy dependent on fossil fuels. There is a market vulnerability in terms of price now that none of us, at least I don't but can't understand how people can predict what's going to happen next week let alone November, October. And that is the determinant as well and if you look at the debates in the House Representatives in America as an example or on about American prices there's now a movement by some of President Trump's own people in the Republican Party in terms of his war in Iran. Government as part of our and Minister, former Minister Eamon Ryan has been criticised left right and centre here tonight but one of the things he's done very successfully has been that retrofitting, that warmer home, that whole solar panel and the offshore energy piece. And we're working to ensure last count caller and members that households benefit directly from that energy transition and that renewable energy transition. Since 2019 1.7 billion euro in SEIL schemes in support to homeowners living almost 250,000 home energy improvements. That's fully equipped upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the warmer energy or warmer home schemes. 5,000 businesses and community groups last year received grants to retrofit homes or to install solar. And if we just take that as the Minister said in his contribution that rooftop revolution it's begun and our job as leaders is to help that and support and augment that so that we can expand the number of people who are benefiting from that so that their energy bills can be reduced. And where energy as we know is produced in that case it could be sold back into the grid. Government supports have been discussed right here and I think you know again last count caller we are very much aware and we're concerned about the pressures that people are under be it householders or be it businesses in terms of the high energy costs. And we have provided support the second if not the highest packages in Europe in the last number of weeks. And we are as a government taking an action in terms of helping householders and businesses in terms of the cost of fuel and energy. So in concluding on behalf of the government I know that Minister O'Brien has addressed the issues that in terms of the piece of the bill. And I want to just conclude by thanking Deputy Daly for bringing it forward tonight for having a good debate and wishing that some in the house would use their contributions to have a proper meaningful debate and to have an informed debate. Unlike Deputy Daly who has had an informed debate tonight here. And as the Minister said government will be opposing the bill.