Mr. Geoffrey Meagher:

On Deputy Lowry's question on the closure of the Littleton peat briquette plant, the company did not want to do it. However, with the decline in briquette sales, having two briquette plants did not make economic sense. While it was a decision we regretted, it had to be done for the future of the company. As I mentioned earlier, we are required to return a dividend to the State and, therefore, we have got to be commercial.

I will take back Deputy Lowry's comments on the current negotiations on the closure of the Littleton factory. As non-executive chairman, it is not my role to be involved in those discussions. As I understand it, the discussions are going well and progress has been made. It is obviously a sensitive issue for all of the parties involved. Apart from noting back to my colleagues on the management side that we would like to see it completed fairly, it would be our intention to ensure that is done.

I cannot comment on the economics of biogas as I am not familiar with the full details of it. It is an issue which could be examined as a possibility, however. We have several wind farm developments under way. We have been in wind energy since 1992. There are developments in the pipeline to produce 600 MW of electricity from wind over the next several years. If it was taken further with a larger landmass, there is the possibility of another 1,000 MW that could be developed. However, no work has been done on the siting of those wind farms. There are many opportunities for Bord na Móna in wind energy development. The company will be pursuing that over the coming years.