Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives of Gas Networks Ireland and thank them for their presentation. The presentation painted an optimistic environment, particularly for the delivery of CNG in the transport sector. They touched on the climate change conference in Paris. The agreement that was reached essentially means we are talking about zero emissions between 2030 and 2050. The implications for this country are enormous, particularly for agriculture in one respect. However, transport is the next biggest sector where the challenges will be huge. With that in mind and given the economic picture the witnesses have painted, they were complimentary to Departments and the Commission for Energy Regulation. I often wonder what is not being said. In the same breath, they mentioned that they were behind the curve in terms of rolling out CNG in the fleets and buses. I do not know whether it is in public or private companies but we are behind the curve. I would be interested to know what road blocks or issues Gas Networks Ireland is facing in its area which may be holding it back from developing a greater use for CNG. The witnesses touched on regulatory issues but there might be issues such as the industry not embracing it. Perhaps they could flesh that out better.