Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have had a broad range of contributions on the proposed legislation. Corporate input has included representatives of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, IBEC, and a delegation of corporate leaders. The message we are getting from this sector is somewhat mixed. IBEC, for example, seemed to have come with a very defensive message. There are similarities between what Mr. O'Flynn is saying today and what the corporate leaders said about a 30-year horizon and so on. Mr. O'Flynn differs slightly in that he has focused on how we might achieve the 30-year target. That is interesting. If I am understanding him correctly, he is emphasising the breadth of opportunity in this area and that how we go about harnessing that opportunity is very important. I published a Bill last year which received a hearing earlier in the year but did not go any further. I included energy security and climate change because they are absolutely connected and are where the real opportunities are.

Mr. O'Flynn seems to be suggesting the change in culture might come via carbon budgeting at company or investor level. It is about having a horizon to work towards and setting out very clear targets to reach it. The IBEC delegates were very defensive because, one assumes, they were looking to represent the food and agriculture sector. Would Mr. O'Flynn see a benefit in disaggregating that sector in order to arrive at a policy position on energy which sets clear targets for the investor sector? He has pointed to the €6 billion per year we are expending on fossil fuels. We have very small storage capacity and there is a possibility that a future oil shock could be very disruptive. There are risks in the approach we are taking. I am asking Mr. O'Flynn for assistance in looking at the issue from a business perspective in terms of driving targets on the investment side. For instance, in recent years we have seen a decline in the take-up of retrofitting of people's homes. Some of this has to do with the gap in policy as we move towards a pay-as-you-save strategy. We cannot really encourage people to start up businesses and invest in them if policy in this area is going to be up and down. I agree with the message Mr. O'Flynn seems to be giving, namely, that there must be certainty and consistency in this area.

Will Mr. O'Flynn address the issue of the cost of achieving a transformation in the transport sector? Last year I travelled to Trieste which has been one of the pioneers in moving to an electric public transport system. It was very impressive and clearly a forward-looking approach.

One of the key issues in which I am interested is how we can exploit the opportunities. Is a targeted approach essential? Mr. O'Flynn referred to the year-on-year aspect. How would he suggest this be stated in policy? Will he comment on the costs relating to transport and the risk in terms of a potential energy shock?