Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Donnellan and his company for coming before us this afternoon. Bord na Móna is an important company in my constituency and it has always been a great source of employment. It has been tremendous for the economy in counties Offaly and Laois and the wider midlands over decades. I welcome the statement about wanting to save the company. There were two ways one could have gone. One was to close the company altogether and the other was to do something to ensure the jobs which have been targeted for voluntary redundancies will be replaced under the new direction in which the company is going.

I understand the company has engaged with the local authority in Offaly regarding a stakeholders' meeting. That is the way to go because it provides reassurance to people who are used to having Bord na Móna as an employer. I understand that the voluntary and statutory redundancy packages have been placed before the Minister and he has approved them, which will be good news for staff who have been anxiously awaiting information as they consider where they are going to be next. Mr. Donnellan said he was targeting new jobs. What kind of timeframe can we look forward to for the 500 jobs that are planned?

On the question of the land use strategy, the company has 200,000 acres but what has it done to liaise with other State agencies? Much of the land is bog land but some of it is close to the greater Dublin area. Is the company considering the potential to provide the land for other uses? Lough Boora is the jewel in the crown of Bord na Móna in County Offaly and is a fabulous facility. Is the company looking at creating other amenity spaces? It is a treasure which is appreciated locally but is now becoming a major target for people who want to enjoy the outdoors. Is the company going to look at rewetting the bogs? How important are they to the land use strategy?

Cloncreen wind farm is in operation and the company is now working on a second wind farm. The company has good community relations with the locals but has it looked at the benefits to local people from new infrastructure? There have not been any objections but people could be impacted by new developments.

The question of the retraining and reskilling of staff has been answered and I note the liaison with the Department of Education and Skills and applications to the EU Globalisation Fund. Has the company had a look at the €500 million climate action fund, which is part of Project Ireland 2040? Does Mr. Donnellan see any projects tapping into that fund? Can he elaborate on virtual power plant services and the demand-side company in which the company has invested?