Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I wish to congratulate Mr. Meagher on his appointment. I acknowledge his suitability based on his distinguished and successful career at Glanbia and note his comment that it, too, like Bord na Móna is rooted in rural Ireland. He is well aware of the historical fact that Bord na Móna has been to the forefront of economic life, vitality and the social fabric of the midlands region for many years. I welcome the fact that he saw fit to specifically mention the commitment and the mandate the board has from Government to support regional development in the midlands and to sustain, where possible, employment in the region, and obviously to do so based on market forces and return of profit to the taxpayer.

Mr. Meagher also said that the company is committed to the community. It is greatly challenged in how it does that nowadays and over the years it obviously has had to diversify and have less of a dependency on its core activity of peat excavation. As he rightly said, it has diversified to meet those challenges with respect to Powergen, the fuels element, horticulture as he mentioned, and the move towards bioenergy and, indeed, tourism. I am mindful of the fantastic investment and return that has accrued to both the company and to the locality, and I am conscious especially of Lough Boora, those parklands and the marvellous addition it is to the tourism product. That is a new development, added to the other diversifications that have happened. Tourism is a sector in respect of which the company can work in tandem with the local authorities, local community groups and local ventures to gain a return for the locality, the community and to the economy.

The company still retains peat production as being its core product. The numbers have diminished back towards the thousands and there is a commitment towards 2030, as Mr. Meagher acknowledged. He spoke about the orderly move away from peat excavation and peat production towards renewables, but that is being done in conjunction with the partnership with the company has with the ESB and the negotiations that are ongoing regarding post-2019 and the public service obligation commitment. How are those negotiations going? It is vital they would come to a successful conclusion to allow the generating stations to have the potential to be in a position to co-fuel or to go into other activities in order to maintain their capacity to provide energy.

I am also conscious of Derrinlough and the decision that was taken prior to Mr. Meagher coming into this position and the commitment that was given to the workforce there and to the diversification that will take place and the improvements in that plant in order to meet the demands of the industry. Is progress on that proceeding at the pace expected and will it be in a position for that to come to fruition? I am also conscious that as that orderly move takes place, much plant will be available or will not be in use. Will Mr. Meagher begin a process again of exploring with local authorities and communities the potential for those facilities to be of benefit to the economy and to the social fabric of the areas where they can play a part?

We have always heard from the manufacturing sector, for example, of the great quality of fitter that emanated from the Bord na Móna. Many manufacturers would now say that the quality they have now is nothing compared to when those numbers were at their best and what was coming out of Bord na Móna. Does Mr. Meagher see a role in that respect? There has been a great call in recent years regarding the lack of facilities and making provision for apprenticeships. It could have an educational and beneficial role in working with State educationalists and in being in a position to use much of that plant for that purpose. The Mount Lucas facility was mentioned earlier. It has gone into other ownership but that facility, together with the education and training board and the Construction Industry Federation, are providing courses that are yielding jobs in the workplace to meet the demands that have been placed on the construction sector, and the intention that it has to grow in the future. Similarly, that could be done in different locations where the plant exits.

I welcome Mr. Meagher and wish him every success. Based on his record and from the research I have done, I am sure he will be a perfect fit. I hope he will work hand in glove with the management and the workforce, whom, in the past, have met the challenge that has been placed on them, and in recent times that has been a difficult one to say the least, but they are hugely committed to their communities and to the company. I hope that together we will in the position to have a successful stint while Mr. Meagher is chairperson of the company.