Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ms Graham. I am sorry for sounding so formal. I echo the pride that she has in having been appointed. I am a firm supporter of the breaking of the glass ceiling in relation to women executives. It is a wonderful progression that Ms Graham is heading up one of the most important public utilities on the island, and not just in the Republic. She brings enormous experience as a board member but also from her own background in banking and management, which I am sure will benefit the board and, ultimately, the country.

There is a public perception that the ESB has been one of the success stories of the semi-state sector and that it is a hugely profitable company. At the same time, we have experienced high consumer charges relative to the rest of Europe. Does Ms Graham have any views on that? I appreciate that she points out that the ESB needs to have an asset base in order to develop new technologies and the business, but at the same time the euro in the pocket is what bothers people, and energy prices are particularly high.

Ms Graham touched on the question of renewables. Does she have any views on how the ESB will progress in that regard? As she knows, we have a very high dependency - something like 90% - on imported fuel. Obviously, any alternative to that would be helpful to the economy. Does Ms Graham have any views on the challenges facing the ESB in terms of the expanding economy and increasing population, which place greater demands on the ESB to provide a service? While it is not within her direct area, there is local opposition to the expansion of the infrastructure of the service. I presume Ms Graham will see that as a challenge. I do not have an answer to it, to be honest. If on the one hand we are expanding our economy and increasing our population, there is a need on the other to continually upgrade our infrastructure. However, there appears to be a very strong opposition and - I do not mean to be patronising - a NIMBY syndrome. It is fine to expand the electricity network and ensure we have safe and secure access to energy in our homes, but if that requires extra infrastructure, I do not want it in my backyard or my area. Does Ms Graham see that as a challenge to be addressed in the years going forward?

I congratulate Ms Graham on her appointment. She has a very impressive CV and I have absolute confidence in the fact that she will bring a new dimension to her new job. I wish her well.