Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Dr. Motherway and thank him for his valuable input, which is appreciated. I also thank him for attending the conference in Dublin Castle.

Our last speaker spoke about the importance of community involvement and education. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and its staff play a significant role in educating the public. If Dr. Motherway was to recommend actions to ensure the people would play their part in reaching targets, how would he convince the community of the necessity and the benefits to the economy of doing so? The speaker from UCD dealt with this issue.

Women play a significant role in dealing with environmental issues. I have noticed from going to schools - I was a teacher - and seeing what happens in the home that women implement good practices.

I am not being sexist, but in Ireland we have more men than women in the workforce and many women are in the home, some by choice. It is important to bring this down to home level. What are the SEAI's recommendations in this regard? With regard to the questions on the cost of electric heating and the electrification of rail transport, what is the target time schedule for the electrification of rail transport and what costs are involved? Is it realistic to expect we will achieve our target by 2050? With regard to the pay-as-you-save system, my question has been answered.

In our hearings this week there have been many questions about climate change and bio-fuels. Mediterranean countries will be affected more than the Nordic countries. What effect will the production of bio-fuels have on our food production? Will the balance between the two be taken into consideration in the context of climate change? How does SEAI aim to get the balance right?