Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----and community-generated electricity. We import a lot of gas and we will continue to do so. Presumably, Deputy Eamon and myself would disagree on whether we should be a net exporter of gas but that is not the case at the moment.

I must be conscious not only of the current situation but also the impending situation on foot of the UK's exit from the European Union and the fact that we cannot have jobs without energy. Ultimately, this is about supporting our economy with a reliable electricity supply. I am anxious to have far more community groups involved as Deputies Eamon Ryan and Bríd Smith are suggesting. As Minister with responsibility for energy, that is my intention. However, that does not have to be written into legislation relating to grid access. The latter is only one part of the issue. Providing grid access alone will not solve the problem. Providing financial resources alone will not solve the problem. Communities in Scotland have been given access to cheap money, yet they have not gone down this road.

What we must do is ensure that the system that is proposed will be in draft form by the end of the year and that it will be flexible enough to meet what we believe are the requirements for communities and that they will take it up. However, it must also be flexible enough to be adapted and changed, if that is required in the future, to ensure that there is the uptake we need and that we meet the objectives the Deputy is setting and with which I agree.