Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for having to leave before the Minister arrived. I acknowledge that he has agreed that the value of MOUs is not as he once thought under other guises when speaking about MOUs entered into between, for example, the previous Government and the troika.

It appears the Minister has found now that this MOU he entered into with the British Government does not hold much water.

Secondly, the Minister has been vague in answer to Deputies Mulherin and Murphy. On foot of the relaxation of the EU 2030 renewable energy targets, he correctly stated plans by Mainstream Renewable Power, Bord Na Móna, Element Power to harvest 10 GW of Irish wind energy for sale to the United Kingdom and the Continent are in doubt. That has been known for a number of weeks. On the meeting that was held between the Taoiseach and the UK Prime Minister on Wednesday, 12 March, can the Minister confirm that officials were given three months to investigate if the plan for the multi-million euro wind energy project in the midlands can be saved? Can he confirm that there was three months agreed between both parties by which time investigations and negotiation would take place, and a review would be completed in three months and published thereafter? What would that bring us to - March, April, May? We might even be in time for the 23rd, which would be of benefit to everybody concerned.

I will move on to the specific guidelines that were being put in place in relation to projects for export. Are they how on hold? In the event of this exercise being carried out by the Minister's officials and British officials confirming that this 10 GW of Irish energy for sale is no longer something in the short to medium-term future, will such guidelines be revised?