Ms Marie Donnelly:

Tipperary Energy Agency has been very successful and is doing a super job. It is not the only one. Codema, which is the energy agency for Dublin, is also doing a great job. It brought out an "energy in the home" unit two years ago. This practical product, which has been made available to citizens in Dublin, won a prize in Europe last year. The combined energy agencies of Carlow, Kilkenny and Wexford are operating in a similar space to Tipperary Energy Agency. They are doing a very good job. There is also something in Kerry, although it might not be as developed. It is a matter for each authority to prioritise climate and energy as an issue and to invest resources in it under the most appropriate structure so that these facilities are available to the people of the local area.

It was mentioned during one of the earlier discussions that some people talk about the weather and some people talk about the price of diesel. It is clear that Irish people talk about the weather all the time. Somebody suggested that we should take up a model that has been pursued in Flanders. When the local equivalent of Met Éireann comes on the nightly news, a little chart shows how much renewable energy was made available in the region that day. People can see the figure every day. I think that would be a really useful thing to do. It would not be expensive to put it on the table. If people could see it every day, it would become relevant. They would see that 50% of their electricity that day had come from renewables, for example. If there was no wind, the figure might be 20%. It is a question of making it visible so that people can talk about it when they are in the pub.

I would like to speak about the first recommendation for an independent body. I made my suggestion within the group of senior officials primarily because we had that kind of structure within the commission. While it could be very frustrating sometimes to get beaten up by one's colleagues, I think it delivered better quality policies because there was an internal screening process before going outside. Such a process often reflected the concerns of stakeholders in each of the Departments and, to some extent, the concerns of society. It was good from that point of view. The advantage of this approach is that existing expertise is used immediately. Such a mechanism could be put in place tomorrow if a decision to that effect were made. It would take time and money to create an independent body. Depending on the structure of such a body, there is a risk that it might operate outside mainstream government. Such an agency might be seen to be on the side, rather than on the top. I think there is a need for something that is on the top of government, takes senior decisions, has political reporting requirements and takes responsibility for that. That is why the quarterly report, which should only be a table, should say what has been done and what it means for greenhouse gas emissions and renewables within a certain timeline. It should set out the actions that have been taken, rather than those that are being considered or consulted on. If more detail is requested thereafter, it can be provided. It is important, in the interests of political accountability, to be able to see an actual record immediately. I emphasise this as a possible opportunity.

The emerging issue of seaweed has not been the subject of an awful lot of study at European level. Other parts of Europe do not have as much seaweed as Ireland. The five marine countries along the Atlantic seaboard - Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal and we will possibly still have the UK - will look at this issue. All five countries are co-operating on marine energy generally. The whole issue of seaweed has to be looked at across those countries. As the sea does not operate with boundaries, the reality is that what we do in one country will have an impact on other countries. It is an issue. I would say that we should use seaweed as sequestration. To be honest, I do not have enough knowledge at this stage to be able to comment on whether what is happening is good or bad, or whether another direction could be taken.