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

The Deputy would admit that some of the definitions in the amendment are vague. We would need to examine the wording in terms of inserting it in the 1999 Act. I do not disagree with the thrust of the Deputy's suggestions. Many of them can be accommodated within the current legislative structure. Section 9(4)(b) refers to integrating large and small scale production of electricity and gas from renewable resources and distributed production in both transmission and distribution networks in the most cost effective way. Paragraph (v) refers to facilitating access to the network for electricity generation and for gas production, and particularly removing barriers that could prevent access for new market entrants and for electricity and gas from renewable energy sources.

The Deputy is right. It is not just about the issue of grid access. There are other issues that must be addressed. The commission is examining the issue of grid access. This is a two-year legal process but some of the suggestions in this amendment can be facilitated in that they do not require a change to the existing legislation.

A far more comprehensive review of this legislation is taking place at European level not just in terms of interconnectivity and interoperability across the network, but how that is applied in member states. Yesterday morning, I made the specific point to the Council of Ministers on microgeneration and ensuring that people are not left behind. I do not disagree what the Deputy is saying. The difficulty is to have it drafted in a manner that encompasses what we all want to do and that achieves the objectives while ensuring we will not have to revisit the issue. We will re-examine it in the context of Report Stage to see if it is possible to move on the issues the Deputy raised. I am not in disagreement with any of the amendments put forward today. It is the vehicle and the mechanism to achieve them. We will have a look at it again.