James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's overview of wind strategy was useful and I thank him for it. Fianna Fáil will make a submission on that issue.

I asked about Ireland's potential exposure to fines in the context of not meeting targets. Ireland could potentially face fines of over €1 billion if it does not meet certain targets and based on current performance it appears unlikely to meet them. It is important to note that if the State is on the hook for €1 billion or €500 million that would certainly have an impact on future Estimates and is very pertinent to the debate on Estimates and budgetary implications. I am a little confused because the Minister said that we are currently at a figure of 9.4% but also mentioned 13.2%. If I understand him correctly, one figure refers to renewable energy sources and the other to energy efficiency. We have to get to 16% in both cases so it seems a leap must be made. The Minister discussed how that might be done and how we might get to or close to 15%, although that would still be 1% less than the targets and could mean a fine of €100 million. However, better that than a fine of €1 billion. That is of major importance and very much on the money, if one will forgive the pun, in terms of Estimates this year, in the years to 2020 and subsequently. It is important to make those figures and be clear about them.