Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Martin Kenny for attending and presenting his Bill with such passion. As someone who lives in a rural community, it is clear he knows and understands the issue. As Deputy Scanlon said, we must encourage and support people who wish to live in rural communities outside the cities and towns, but in a sustainable and environmentally healthy and responsible way. It is becoming an issue and Deputy Martin Kenny made a strong argument.

I worked with the school of botany at Trinity College Dublin, TCD, and, therefore, I am very familiar with its work on biomass in respect of willows and Salix. It is carrying out research on the matter and there is an ongoing body of work on the use of willows and the scheme in question. Deputy Martin Kenny may know something about that and, if so, he might share it with the committee.