Ms Avril N? Shearcaigh:

Mar a deir an Seanadóir Garvey, tá go leor obair ar bun againn faoi láthair ag cur painéil PV isteach. Bhí Colm Garvey amuigh ar na hoileáin ag déanamh obair linn agus tá na painéil PV atá againn anseo ar na hoileáin ag obair thar barr. Tá chuile dhuine atá siad acu an-sásta leo. Tuigim céard atá an Seanadóir Burke ag rá chomh maith. Ní freagra na ceiste ar fad iad na PV panels i ndáiríre. Beidh rudaí eile ag teastáil ach tá áit acu agus má tá muid ag iarraidh an fuinneamh in-athnuaite a úsáid beidh sé fíorthábhachtach. Mar a dúradh, ní bheidh rudaí riamh éasca ar na hoileáin ach do mhuintir na n-oileán, is aoibhinn linn an áit ina bhfuil muid ag maireachtáil. Tá muid sásta an obair sin a chur isteach. Cuirfimid suas le méid áirid ach just teastaíonn beagáinín tacaíochta le rudaí a dhéanamh níos fearr agus le go gcoinneoidh muid suas leis an gcuid eile den tír.

The EU recognises the importance of islands and of giving specific supports to islands. There is a clean energy for EU islands secretariat which looks at islands all over Europe. We have published a clean energy transition agenda with the secretariat. We were one of six pilot islands chosen to participate in the first round. It has now moved on to the next phase so it is now supporting community groups with their energy projects. We have benefited from technical support from the clean energy for EU islands secretariat in the past. We are hoping we will be able to benefit again in the future as it launches its third phase. Given the fact that the EU sees fit to support islands specifically and create island-specific supports, the Irish Government should be able to do something similar. There should be additional funding and additional supports available to islands to carry out this work that may not be available on the mainland because maybe it is not as needed on the mainland as it is on islands. We see examples of it all over Europe where governments and the EU in general provide additional support and focus on islands. They recognise how important the islands are and the value they hold and then they choose to provide island-specific supports. If we were able to combine the EU supports that are available with national supports that are specific to islands in terms of the energy transition, then we would have the opportunity to really make some changes and, more importantly, to meet our targets.