Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thought I was not going to get in at all.

Most of my questions have been answered. I echo what Senator Higgins said regarding our concerns about the designated protected marine areas and how we will square that circle in terms of those of us who want to deliver on the carbon budgets but also want to protect our biodiversity, and getting that balance right so biodiversity is not the sacrificial lamb of climate action. I welcome what Mr. Cunniffe said earlier about the resourcing and funding of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and environmental NGOs. I also welcome the comments regarding the right of the public to object and to make submissions to the planning process, and that the real problem is not stopping people engaging with the planning process but resourcing the planning process so that engagement can happen much faster. I welcome that from most of the commentators today. I hope the Government is listening.

In terms of the public consultation, would the witnesses agree that public participation in the maritime area consent is vital? Do they have a view on whether the public should be allowed to make submissions on that or to participate?

The other issue relates to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. There is much talk about how State agencies are not resourced to enable the witnesses to deliver what they want to deliver, which is clearly very ambitious. Representatives of the CRU were before the committee last week and my understanding is that 25% of the CRU's budget is spent on hiring outsourced consultants. Do the witnesses think it has the resources that are needed, particularly regarding bringing down the costs of energy for both consumers and those who are producing the renewable energy?