This week in Washington, the Taoiseach told business leaders that the Government is prioritising the growth of data centres in Ireland. We already have, I think, 89 data centres in Ireland, with planning permissions approved for even more. Data centres are, of course, critical infrastructure but they currently consume over 20% of our electricity. This is huge compared to our EU neighbours. The next two highest countries are the Netherlands at 5.2% and Luxembourg at 4.8%. It is estimated that by 2030, data centres will account for 30% of our energy consumption in Ireland and this is completely unsustainable. Data centres are consuming vast amounts of energy and putting pressure on our grid. The "Journal Investigates" reported last year that many of these data centres are actually running on generators fuelled by fossil fuels, which are then releasing huge amounts of CO2 into our environment. While some data centres are being connected directly to renewable energy sources, and that sounds great in theory, it means the grid is now dependent on fossil fuels, so ordinary households are paying higher prices on fossil fuel-generated energy. Our energy needs are already incredibly stretched, with domestic consumers paying eye-wateringly high prices, some of the highest across Europe. The Taoiseach's words in Washington seem to suggest we are going to continue rolling out the red carpet for data centres without any consideration of our own domestic needs. It is reckless. It is going to negatively impact ordinary households and it is going to have lasting consequences for our environment. Where are the Government's climate goals when the Taoiseach is opening the door to further data centres? He is utterly muddying the water on his Government's supposed climate commitments.

Other worrying remarks from the Taoiseach this week included his comments on the need to "pivot more to innovation as opposed to regulation" on tech. Given that we have been dealing with the fallout from an horrific, dehumanising and abusive nudification scandal with Grok and X, I found it really shocking that the Taoiseach chose his limited time in the Oval Office to champion deregulation. When the Government talks about easing planning rules for data centres and deregulating the tech space, alarm bells ring for me. We need strong regulation to make sure horrific abuses of tech do not continue without consequence and to ensure our energy needs prioritise residential households and ordinary people first and foremost. I would like us to have a debate in this House about the balance between positive, sustainable investment and strong regulation with positive outcomes for communities first and foremost. Ultimately, our end goal needs to be developing sustainable, protected and safe environments and communities.