Mr. Geoffrey Meagher:

I will go back to the questions from Deputy Lawless first. He asked about Drehid. I take his point on the traffic and congestion. I have been to the Drehid site. It is impressive in terms of the technology being used and the professional ways things are done. It is a great asset to the State in terms of waste recycling and recovery and in terms of how to do things well. That should not be forgotten.

Deputy Lawless asked a question about hazardous waste. At the moment, all that is being done is work on an application to see if we could apply for a licence. No decision has been made in respect of what we want to do within that context. Anything we do is totally within Government policy and what is required. From what I have seen, one area in which members can be assured is that whatever will be done will be done not alone within all the licences required but in excess of the licences in terms of safety. Certainly, what I have seen in Drehid is along those lines.

There was a question about Timahoe. I am sure the members will negotiate well with regard to Mount Lucas. Again, that is a local issue. To be fair, we want to work with communities. We want to be fair to communities and to be consistent in the way we operate. I am sure that issue will be dealt with.

Reference was made to a local issue relating to prohibited areas for cutting. That is a local issue that I will bring back. We can refer back to management.

I thank Deputy Cowen for his comments, especially on tourism. I agree with his comments in that regard. Deputy Cowen referred to peat production post-2019 and the position with the ESB on the two power plants. Those negotiations are ongoing. The discussions are at sensitive stage at the moment. They are going positively in the sense that both sides want to do a deal. In fairness to both sides, they have to do a deal that makes commercial sense. It is work in progress at the moment. Both sides would like to have the deal completed.

They are at a sensitive point but both sides are actively working towards something that will work for both.

In the past year, 65% of biomass used by Bord na Móna was local and Irish, while 35% was imported. I take the point on doing more and I understand various trials have been done or are ongoing on the possibility of using more Irish biomass. It is a fair challenge but one we should follow up. There would be no great wish on the part of Bord na Móna to have a plant in America or anywhere else if we could get the supply here in Ireland.

I understand the concerns over the closure of Littleton and the impact it had. The discussions with the workforce about redeployment, training opportunities, etc., are ongoing and at a delicate stage but I am sure that both parties will come to a satisfactory conclusion over the coming weeks. The costs of closure have not yet been finalised but the redundancy package is the largest part of it and that has not been completed yet. It will be finalised over the coming couple of months. It is regrettable that the decision had to be made but Bord na Móna has to be a commercial operation. The Government rightly requires us to pay a dividend so we have to make commercial decisions, although I accept the point that we have to act fairly, reasonably and proportionately in doing so.

I take Deputy Cahill's point about the plant in Georgia but no decision has been made by board on that issue. It is still just a discussion on something that might or might not happen and the opportunities on the Irish side will be pursued.

I covered the issues relating to Kilberry and White Moss earlier. Strike action was mentioned but my understanding is that what is being done at Kilberry is part of an overall agreement at the WRC as to the savings the company was putting in place. I have been in Kilberry and we want to protect that facility but 80% of what Kilberry produces is exported to the United Kingdom. Without some action to diversify markets or some developments within the UK, part of that business will be under threat.