Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. It is a bit different from the finance committee. When will we have the national integrated hydrogen strategy? Mr. Ó Maoldhia might address how important that is to what he is trying to achieve. I am supportive of ownership for people on the islands and of all communities. I come from a community that has gone through the Corrib gas project. We must learn from what happened there. We see rising energy costs while a project at our backdoor has made €750 million in the past year and does not pay any corporation tax. The only thing we can get from it at this stage is the lesson, which we need to apply to all of these projects.

My colleague Deputy O'Rourke, has tabled legislation relating to the hydrogen strategy. We acknowledge the need for it. When will it be ready? How late are we with the development of hydrogen? What impact did that have? What measures are we taking to catch up? There are significant opportunities along the west coast, in the Atlantic economic corridor, that have not been presented to us heretofore, to avail of all of the benefits from the development of renewable energy. What is the tie-in with the Atlantic university? How will that be developed? I hear what Mr. Ó Maoldhia says about workers not being available on the island and the extra cost of bringing workers in. If we can build the human capacity in the islands, that is the sustainable way forward. What opportunities are there?

Obviously the co-operative model requires partnerships and investment as it develops. How can it be ensured licences and such are not granted through the co-operative model then given away or taken over by developers who will profit from that at the end of the day? How will we make sure the benefits and ownership, not just a community fund, remain with communities and the islands? What can Oireachtas Members do to help the witnesses? I commend the efforts being made on all the islands, especially my own, Achill Island.