Mr. John Mullins:

The Deputy asked about cannibalisation. In reality, FoodCloud has been successful in maintaining retailers’ involvement in the process of providing surplus food to people who need it. In a scenario involving 550,000 customers - we would love to be a bridgehead to all of them - if it cost €1 to heat a tank, we would be talking about approximately €70 million per year.

However, if we look at the current level of wastage, it is well in excess of €250 million. Ironically, many of the suppliers who are involved in this process and those who have not joined us yet are also participants in renewable energy, so it is in their best interests to ensure that they are not switched off and that they actually maintain the rotation of a wind farm or the switch into an inverter of a solar farm.

The idea that we are not going to be able to lower the carbon content of our electricity by actually turning off things rather than turning on things is a travesty. Anybody who has a moral interest in and a deep ambition for getting us to net zero understands that. We met many times before when I was CEO of Bord Gáis. I can tell members that anybody in such a position would be really interested in, first, dealing with the fuel poverty issue and, second, hitting net zero. This solution is one that will assist with that particular aim.