Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Stanley is correct. There is significant concern in his local county about this. I believe a great deal of this concern is due to a misunderstanding, some to misinformation and some due to disinformation. One cannot say that one is concerned about the trend towards nuclear energy in Britain and that one is in favour of renewable energy, but not in his or her county. We cannot do that.

In regard to the issues Deputy Stanley raises about trade, all we are seeking to do is to comply with European law in terms of the requirement to agree an intergovernmental agreement to facilitate trade. We are not exporting anything, but just preparing the ground legislatively speaking, as required by the European directive. The Deputy will know about a number of developers who will want to bring forward proposals in this regard. We have carried out an extensive cost-benefit analysis in circumstances where we have drawn inputs from the ESRI, NewERA, outside consultants and internal economists. That detailed cost-benefit analysis persuades me, beyond doubt, that there is considerable economic value for both countries, but for Ireland in particular.

In regard to the Deputy's county or neighbouring counties being covered in wind turbines, this is not the case. This will not happen and was never intended to happen. The Deputy can check with his colleague who shadows my Department and see that time and again I have put on the record the huge depth of work my Department has engaged in, including the development of a national planning framework that will prescribe where wind farms may or may not be built. Developers will have to comply with this framework in any projects they bring forward and An Bord Pleanála must have regard to that. Therefore, there is no question of the cart being put before the horse. We have a very coherent policy.

In regard to the Deputy's remark on policy, our policy will be further updated and within the next two or three weeks we will publish a Green Paper on energy. We are deliberately publishing a Green Paper and it will facilitate committees like this and the Deputy, as an elected Member for the midlands, to make whatever input they feel is appropriate. There is a coherent, thought-out policy surrounding this area. The Deputy or some others may not agree with that policy and that is fine, but the policy is there. I take a pragmatic approach to this. Industries in this country that employed large numbers of people in the past have disappeared, but the nature of modern business is that through innovation and other means, we create new employment for new products that were unheard of 20 years ago or less. What we see here is that because of our uniquely propitious wind resources, we have the capacity to sell green energy to the neighbouring island. If we can do that and create a revenue stream for the Exchequer and the local authorities involved, create employment in the construction stage and attract anchor tenants in terms of the manufacture of turbines or parts, this is a good news story for Ireland. We would only do this within the constraints of a national planning framework, which will be very demanding.

This comes back to whether one has confidence in the institutions that are there. I believe they are rigorous. We never hear about the wind farm applications that have been turned down by An Bord Pleanála. We must continue to look for new opportunities for creating employment and generating wealth in this economy. Can we do that without in any way despoiling the environment or unreasonably intruding on the rights of communities? This is the challenge. I do not know whether the intergovernmental agreement will be concluded, but it is purely a legislative preparation to enable developers to bring forward proposals. I am not bringing forward any proposal. I do not propose to sell wind energy to the neighbouring island or anywhere else. However, we have wind and if it can be harvested and exploited for wealth generation and job creation, it is a matter for the developers in that area to bring forward proposals and we can examine those proposals.