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

Deputy Colreavy has covered considerable territory. I welcome his intention to make a written submission during the public consultation phase. In regard to empowering citizens on the energy question, the first major step in that regard is our decision to opt for a Green Paper, which allows interested parties, whether citizens, consumer organisations or business organisations, to set out, before 31 July, their considered positions on energy policy in Ireland. If I had produced a White Paper it would have been an indication that we know best and are not open to input from elsewhere to our settled policy. The merit of taking the Green Paper route at a time of significant change and dramatic developments that were not foreseen allows an opportunity to hold a debate that can lead to a White Paper. We may not make our end of year target but we intend to try. I hope citizens will take advantage of this opportunity.

We also intend to hold a number of workshops and seminars on various themes in the Green Paper which we will throw open as widely as we can so that they do not involve only the obvious stakeholders. We hope to arrange one of these sessions prior to the summer recess. Even after the closure of the public consultation stage at the end of July we will continue to run these sessions until the end of the year. The Deputy spoke about language and empowerment but we are heading into an era of, for example, smart metering whereby citizens will have more control over how they use energy.

They will be able to access energy when they need it instead of using it indiscriminately, as is currently the case. Technology allows us this capability.

I have dealt with the issue of privatisation. Deputy Colreavy knows the circumstances under which we were obliged to make some contribution to the bailout. We are making a much smaller contribution than was envisaged at the time this Government came to office. The disposal of the energy business of Bord Gáis brings another major player into the marketplace. Regarding the Deputy's other questions on pricing and so on, we have a more competitive marketplace now than we had only a short few years ago. This is to be welcomed.

I should not confuse the role of the regulator when replying to Deputy Colreavy's question on whether the regulator should be doing more on pricing. The regulator carefully scrutinises network costs to ensure they are not being ramped up and to try for some element of control over same by the network companies. This is the only element of price control exercised by the regulator. We have a competitive market. Unfortunately, we continue to import 96% of our gas and 100% of our oil. In those circumstances, we are price takers. In addition, market and exchange rate fluctuations and the small size of the Irish market are issues with which we must contend.

I welcome Deputy Colreavy's acknowledgement of the importance of an appropriate interconnection between the Republic and the North. The all-island energy market was a considerable achievement. In that context, the absence of the interconnector to mesh the two systems together is costing us a great deal of money. The regulator puts the figure at close to €30 million per annum. It is an important infrastructural project. It is large in Irish terms, although not internationally, at just 40 km of transmission between Meath and Tyrone. However, it is necessary and, from the point of view of Northern Ireland, urgent. It is also costing the taxpayer in the South up to €30 million.