Acting Chairman (Deputy Gerald Nash):

We have a major challenge to overcome in respect of indigenous energy generation. We are enormously dependent on imported fossil fuels. There have been many discussions in this Parliament and particularly outside it about wind energy generation, which is controversial. However, it is also the case that we need to take a much more radical approach to land use planning and so on in the next few years if we are to meet that challenge. I do not expect Dr. Motherway to step outside his own remit, but I am sure he has his own views on how those issues might be addressed in a way that would support our energy requirements in the next few decades.

There are major opportunities in retrofitting. Some construction firms were early adapters in identifying the direction the industry was going and developing an expertise, a reputation and brand awareness for their own position in the market, and they have done particularly well. How does Dr. Motherway work in the SEAI with construction firms and tradespeople who are interested in becoming more active in that sector? Where does the SEAI fit in the current inter-agency approach to meeting the climate change policy demands in Ireland and at an international level? Reference has been made by a number of delegates in the past few days to silos in the public service. We are familiar with this through our own work. I know that the SEAI works on an interdepartmental and an international basis, but perhaps Dr. Motherway might elaborate on how it operates in meeting the climate change challenge with other agencies.