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

There was great anticipation of his effectiveness as chair and as that conduit. With the knowledge and expertise he had, especially in industrial relations, one would have expected that any change, diversification, alteration in work practices or cost-cutting exercise that might ensue would be well-managed, closely monitored by him and the board in dealing with management to ensure smoothness. One would also have expected morale to be maintained among the workforce and that those amendments would be well-met and well-intentioned and would, in so far as possible, meet with the approval of the workforce.

I want to raise three issues in the first instance. When I say that the operation of the briquette factories was the primary issue raised by Mr. Horgan, I do not intend to demean or diminish many of the other activities that take place across Bord na Móna. The briquettes meet the fuel market. Peat is supplied to the horticultural sector and to power plants. Many people are involved in the servicing and maintenance of machinery and equipment. Everyone is familiar with the workshops and with the apprenticeship model that previously existed. We are aware that seasonal work supplemented the incomes of many farmers and others in the region. Mr. Horgan mentioned diversification. I say all of this to highlight what happened across various areas over many years. I am particularly conscious that the natural lives of many of the power plants mentioned by Mr. Horgan ended in the 1980s and 1990s. A huge effort and commitment on the part of all stakeholders was required to ensure that the lifespan of the peat extraction industry was extended and that this activity continued to play a role in power generation. It continues to do so by virtue of what happens at Edenderry, Shannonbridge and Lanesborough. We are now at a juncture at which those very plants are finding themselves at a crossroads. Mr. Horgan's role and that of the board and management is quite precarious. There is a huge responsibility on them.

I welcome the issues mentioned by Mr. Horgan in relation to biomass. I would like to see more progress on that. He mentioned that there may be developments in the coming weeks. It is essential for the alliance with Coillte in this area to crystallise quickly. Thereafter, there needs to be an effective means by which the biomass industry can be improved upon so that it can take off and be part of the co-fuelling that was mentioned earlier. Those who had foresight back in the 1980s and 1990s were aware that there was potential for co-fuelling in the knowledge that peat extraction would come to an end at some stage. Anyway, I will get back to the briquette factories.