Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Unfortunately, he is now saying he cannot commit exclusively because planning permission has not been applied for. I would have thought that there is a blueprint for permission to be repeated at the Shannonbridge and Lanesborough plants because of the process that was initially gone through for Edenderry. I hope and expect that those who cast doubt on the potential for Edenderry to meet its commitments associated with the Environmental Protection Agency and the planning conditions will be mindful of the expectation of the greater community and region with regard to these two plants when they look at the applications that are made. That is not to say that the applications should get a carte blanche. People should be respectful of the process that has begun. It should be allowed to work itself out. Communities should be allowed to adjust to that change. The point I want to make to this committee is that based on what the CEO has said, there is no cast-iron commitment that he can live up to the expectation that he has up to 2027. This means that many of the jobs I am discussing will remain in jeopardy in the short term, rather than in the medium or long terms. As I have said, Bord na Móna cannot meet the remit it was given in the 1940s, which is understandable. That is why the Government must not depend on existing sources of revenue for the region. Those revenue sources already exist from a national perspective. They can be drawn from all over the country. The Government and the EU must have a specific and targeted initiative and effort to ensure this region has a chance of getting through this transition and is stronger coming out of it than it was going into it. My party and I will not be found wanting to that end. I hope this committee makes that point to the Minister and to those who have a responsibility to this region. I am putting them on notice that this is very much political.