Mr. Brian Carroll:

Deputy Mulherin raised the issue of Ireland growing its own bio-fuel crops and Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked about anaerobic digestion. Currently, we are finalising a bio-energy strategy which is due for publication in the near future. One of the key issues with which we are dealing in this regard is that of demand stimulation. We already have in place the tariff support scheme, REFIT 3, the aim of which is incentivise an additional 310 megawatts of renewable electricity biomass capacity to the Irish grid, some 200 megawatts of which will be in anaerobic digestion and solid biomass. There is a range of tariff supports across these technologies which are aimed at incentivising the growth of crops and use of the technologies referred to by the Deputy.