Ivana Bacik (Independent)

I accept that I do not live near one. We are not against wind turbines. Far from it, as we are optimistic about wind energy's potential. The programme for Government accepts that, while we want to develop and expand our reliance upon renewable energy sources, we must avoid a detrimental impact upon the people living near them. In this light, the Bill aims to impose a reasonable restriction on the placing of wind turbines in close proximity to houses. It also recognises that there may be serious noise pollution and health issues for people living in close proximity to them, as Senator Kelly mentioned, as well as a visual impact. Others have spoken strongly about the detrimental impact of wind turbines that are located too close to homes.

We hope that the Bill will be accepted and that this principle will be expressed into binding law by the Government. The principle is accepted across the House. We are delighted to see the support coming from both sides of the House and I am grateful to other Senators for their comments.

In introducing the Bill, we also wanted to make a point about the use of the Seanad as a genuine Chamber for proactively introducing legislation on issues such as quality of life as well as other issues on which the Dáil might not be focused. This is the second Bill that the Labour group has introduced in the House. The first was accepted by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, and had to do with civil registration, in particular the registration of humanist wedding ceremonies. Prior to this term, the Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Bill 2011, which is about to conclude in the Dáil, was initiated as a Private Members' Bill and was accepted by the Government. There is a powerful precedent for the use of the Seanad in introducing this sort of legislation and debating it in a collegial and constructive fashion. I look forward to the Minister of State's support in this regard.