Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have had this debate on the role of data centres in the economy. They are an important part of the future of the economy, including how we manage data in a way that can reduce our carbon footprint to ensure the economy is as efficient as possible. The challenge for us is to power data centres with clean energy in the future. That is why we are investing so heavily in offshore wind and we will see, in effect, a clean energy revolution that can allow the economy to grow, including data centres where necessary. We should not hide away from that. Economies are now driven by data - how it is stored, managed and used. Ireland should not be excluding itself in that regard.