I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion on affordable electricity, which took place on Tuesday, 25 June 2024. On the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed, and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Affordable Electricity: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Darren O'Rourke on Tuesday, 25 June 2024:
That Dáil Éireann:
recognises that Ireland has some of the most expensive electricity prices in the European Union (EU), two-thirds higher than the average, with the typical Irish household paying nearly €700 more per year;
regrets that:
— the Government refused to apply a stronger, more effective windfall tax which tackled profits when they were at their peak post the Russian invasion of Ukraine;
— decades of successive Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green led Governments have failed to invest in renewable energy, leaving the State over-reliant on dirty and expensive fossil fuel imports, energy insecure and exposed to the vagaries of the international market; and
— the Government has created an energy market in which profit maximisation trumps affordable pricing;
agrees that Government inaction is at the heart of Ireland's rip-off prices; and
calls on the Government to:
— overhaul the electricity market's regulatory regime, including providing the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) with new powers to monitor and regulate standing charges, hedging practices and anti-competitive behaviour, alongside increased reporting responsibilities to enhance transparency and accountability;
— provide a reformed mandate to the CRU, which prioritises energy affordability for consumers;
— make electricity more affordable by breaking the link between wholesale gas and electricity prices;
— make the transition fairer by redistributing and restructuring network charges;
— expand community and domestic ownership of renewables through increased targets, funding and supports;
— introduce a fairer retrofit plan, with increased funding and radical reform of the Government's current regressive retrofitting and Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Scheme, in order to target those who need it most coupled with an accessible, affordable and efficiently tiered, area-based schemes for retrofitting and Solar PV and a dedicated fund for the retrofitting of solid fuel homes;
— depart from its punitive approach that punishes ordinary workers and families, pricing them out of schemes and locking them out of the benefits of the transition to net zero, including a commitment to no further increases to the carbon tax;
— significantly increase supply side investment to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and to maximise the benefit for all; and
— transform our vast natural resources into national wealth.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"acknowledges the Government's comprehensive response to the significant increases in energy prices for households and businesses due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the significant progress being made in ensuring a just transition to renewable energy;
recognises that:
— across Europe, Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine had a severe and immediate impact on energy prices, where wholesale prices reached peak levels in August 2022 that were 706 per cent higher than January 2021, while wholesale electricity prices increased by 463 per cent; and
— Russian illegal manipulation of energy markets was specifically aimed at undermining societal cohesion and decreasing satisfaction levels in governments; and
agrees that the Government's comprehensive response includes:
— a €4 billion social transfer from Government to households in terms of emergency payments via increased payments and lump sums via the Fuel Allowance, Living Alone Increase, Working Family Payment, Child Benefit, Carer's Support Grant and Disability Allowance;
— a total of seven universal electricity payments to all occupied households totaling €1,250 per household; and
— a comprehensive levy on windfall gas and electricity earnings, this had one of the lowest price caps and highest windfall levies in Europe;
— regarding Retrofit Schemes:
— a best in class, socially just retrofit program, where the majority of the funding goes to those homes who need the support most;
— this scheme has led to 1,000 homes per week being upgraded, including a fully funded low-income comprehensive renovation of 5,900 homes per year; and
— enhanced grants for shallow retrofit measures, where approximately 80 per cent of the cost of attic and cavity wall insulation is funded by the State; and a new Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme, which will help reduce the financial challenges for many homeowners;
— regarding Renewable Energy Schemes:
— renewable electricity support schemes for onshore wind, offshore wind and solar in addition to commercial and domestic microgeneration support schemes that has already delivered the third highest onshore wind of any country in the world;
— that Ireland is internationally recognised as one of the leading renewable electricity countries in the world;
— that Ireland has already delivered 15 Terra Watt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity, contracted a further 17 TWh, and will likely see another 10-12 TWh from future auctions opening this year or corporate purchases that will deliver in the next five to seven years;
— a clear understanding that building grid, including projects like the North-South Interconnector are integral to the utilisation of renewables in Ireland; and
— putting in place comprehensive task forces that are delivering increased, secure, competitive and clean power for the citizens of Ireland;
— regarding Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Schemes:
— a comprehensive domestic solar PV support system that includes a grant of €2,100, the removal of Value-Added Tax (VAT) and the exemption of planning permission that has resulted in 94,000 homes to date installing solar PV;
— a vulnerable customer solar PV scheme for those dependent on medical devices to reduce running costs;
— a wide-ranging commercial solar scheme with grants up to €162,000 that has resulted in 1,300 applications since July 2023;
— a renewable electricity support scheme that has contracted over 2,700 megawatt (MW) of solar PV to date and will contract further this year; and
— recognising huge success through the delivery of 4,000 MW of either contracted solar or installed small scale solar; and
— regarding energy markets:
— the position of successive Governments has been that competitive energy markets result in greater choice for consumers and businesses, in terms of suppliers, products and prices; and prices in the electricity and gas retail markets have been fully deregulated since 2011 and 2014 respectively;
— the fact that the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) has performed a comprehensive assessment of energy suppliers hedging strategies through the electricity price crisis and has found no adverse findings; and
— the transposition of enhanced regulatory powers due shortly from the Internal Electricity Market Directive 2019 will enhance the powers of the CRU should they require them.".
-(Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan)
Amendment put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 79; Níl, 66; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 77; Níl, 63; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Grealish, Noel.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Hourigan, Neasa.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cathasaigh, Marc.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Niamh.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Canney, Seán.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Gould, Thomas.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Harkin, Marian.
- Healy-Rae, Danny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Murphy, Verona.
- Mythen, Johnny.
- Nash, Ged.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Donoghue, Richard.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Ward, Mark.
- Wynne, Violet-Anne.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.