Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The focus of our State companies must be on investing in our economy and creating jobs on this island. That is certainly the Government's view. Not everything State companies have done in recent years have been in the interest of the stakeholder. That is why we are introducing a much more disciplined approach, under NewERA, to ensure the Irish people get full value for their investment. These entities are owned collectively by us. The Deputy is right in so far as it would be my wish to free up new capital to invest in the next generation of alternative energy generation in this country. It might not necessarily be wind; biomass, wave energy and all the other options must be considered. It is the ambition of the Government that we become an exporter of energy.