To move on from the last debate, food and energy security is the most important matter for any country. Yesterday evening, as the Minister is probably aware given he is the Minister over it, the EU diktat voted that gas and nuclear power are basically going to be classed as green resources, which I do not have a problem with. The Minister is probably also aware of some of things going on in Europe such as in the Netherlands. The Minister is proposing to bring in climate targets for the agricultural sector whereas the Netherlands Government is actually closing down farms. Funnily enough, our own national media do not seem to be interested in it. They would rather show something in Australia or somewhere else than show farmers being kicked around the place.

The Minister is probably aware, particularly if he has been talking to fuel merchants, that coal is becoming scarce. There are only a couple of places from which we are importing coal. It is getting scarce and has more than doubled in price. Fuel merchants to whom I have talked estimate that a 40 kg bag of coal will cost €50 or more this winter. The Minister referred earlier to the price of oil coming down. He should consider why that happened. The American dollar has become strong and the euro has collapsed. That is why. The price of oil has come down by damn all in recent days. It was at $120 per barrel. In euros, a barrel of oil is now probably €105, €106 or €108. The reality is that it costs €1.60 per litre. A litre of white diesel costs €2.20. The Minister spoke about Europe and said the Government cannot do this, that or the other. Europe exports food. Is there an agenda in Europe to reduce food output in order that it will not be exported and the figures relating to the green agenda will stack up? Is Europe going to starve people in other parts of the world?

There is an application for a licence on the Minister's desk at the moment from a company in Mayo. There appears to be a large resource of gas there that would help this country. I understand the Department is sitting on that application. What is the Minister going to do to ensure that we have energy security? Whether we like it or not, we will need gas into the future.

The Minister is aware of the pressures - they were outlined earlier - that ordinary people face. He mentioned that the fuel allowance has been increased and I admit that. However, the new poor are in middle Ireland. What is the Minister doing for the people through the fuel regulations he is bringing in at a time when those people are barely able to heat their homes? Where is he on the new fuel regulations? We need to know before the holidays are over.

There were many different questions there.

They were all about fuel and food.

It will be difficult for me to address all of the questions.

We went to public consultation last September in respect of a process to issue regulations this autumn. The regulations will not affect the householder. They do not consider producers or someone who might be cutting a bog and so on. They focus on the retail side. They relate to smoky coal, wet wood and turf at the retail and sales levels. That was agreed in the consultation last September.

It is true that the world has changed since last September as a result of the war. It is true that the price of coal has increased because much of the coal on the market was Russian coal and the supply chain has been affected in that regard. Oil and gas have also been significantly affected. The key answer in this insecure time, for Europe and Ireland, is the European Green Deal. This was set out by the Commission in advance of the war, but it is all the more urgent and requires to be committed to now. Europe imports so much of its energy, food and feedstock for its animal production system that it makes for an insecure world for us. We must start to become much more efficient and much more reliant on our own resources. We must create wealth out of the alternative renewable efficient economy, which is growing. That is where the jobs are and where the investment will be. That is where our country has a real advantage. Our population is relatively small for the size of the island. Our wind resources are beyond compare. Everyone can see this coming but we can now convert that wind to hydrogen gas, which provides real security. Rather than going out into the Atlantic Ocean at €100 million a pop and trying to drill on a 50/1 outsider bet, which is our record when we have gone out to explore in an attempt to find sources of fuel, we have the odds-on knowledge that the offshore wind is there. We can tap into that and convert it.

The green transition is central to the European strategy and the Government's strategy. It belongs to all three parties. It is smart, clever and obvious to use our natural resources in this difficult time. That is the best way to protect our people. I do not always agree with the finer details of what the European institutions decide. I did not agree with the Parliament's vote on taxonomy yesterday because I disagree with describing gas or nuclear energy as green in any way. However, that is not going to distract us from what we need to do, which is to tap into the resources we have in abundance and to use them with real skill, which we have in respect of balancing variable renewable supply and demand management to heat our homes, move our transport system and power our industry. That is the way forward and we have everything to gain from it.

We all know the way forward. It is the present we have to deal with. People are struggling. The Minister said I asked too many questions. I will deal with one and specialise on it. I have said clearly that coal is getting scarce, as is well known. It will cost €50 for a 40 kg bag. People around the country will not be able to afford it. Will the Minister clarify something for me? There are 11 different types of bog ownership, as I mentioned in a motion. Will those people be able to cut for their own houses? Will they be able to give or sell people turf? Will the Minister clarify that? Will he explain where we are in respect of the draft regulations? Are we going to see them after the holidays? When will we see those drafts?

Out of respect for this House, I hope and expect it will be before-----

Before what?

-----we break for the summer. The regulation will be along the lines suggested by the Deputy, as we agreed last year. As we have said all along, this, critically, is about restricting all solid fuels that are affecting health. This is not about what we are doing on the bogs or what we are doing in someone's home. It is about public health. It is about having clear regulations that will stand up against legal challenge, which was threatened, to ensure we make this switch.

They cannot get coal and they cannot bring a legal challenge.

That is true, but that is an issue relating to the war in Ukraine-----

I know that.

-----which is a different issue. It is also true for those who are reliant on gas, as I said earlier. There is a significant problem in that regard, as there is with regard to oil. We have a real challenge across all energy areas. That will require significant intervention through the budget to allow us through this particular time. The 80% grant is available to help people retrofit their homes. We are changing the rules in order that people can sell their own power back to the grid. We have put new measures in place to give farmers additional income to be able to sell their excess power. That is happening.