Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I presume the Minister works in liaison with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. When will the new planning guidelines for wind turbines come into force? Families have been very distressed by the granting of planning permission for these turbines. It is causing major problems.

There are people who propose to generate energy - who have made their application to join the national grid and are in line to do so - who are not progressing their projects, yet they are holding their positions in the queue. Is there a case for setting conditions for applications to join the national grid such that the applicant must show that he or she has the money to complete the project within an agreed timeframe? The present arrangement is akin to bed blocking in hospitals, as it blocks new entrants.

I have talked to people in Bord na Móna about growing willow and other crops for biomass. The reality is that our timber industry cannot produce enough trees to supply the sawmills, not to mind using them for something else.

The price of electricity is very important. Other countries can produce electricity more cheaply than Ireland, but they have moved away from wind energy, while we are subsidising it. Has the Minister a roadmap for bringing down the price of electricity to ensure our economy is more competitive, which will help businesses to create more jobs? Let me be clear: I do not buy into paying levies to subsidise energy production that is costing us jobs.