John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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The purpose of this session is to meet with the Secretary General of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Mark Griffin, to discuss the six-monthly reports on EU legislative proposals for 2012 and the main policy developments that took place during the Irish Presidency. I welcome Mr. Griffin, who I understand has recently replaced Mr. Aidan Dunning as Secretary General, and Mr. Griffin's colleagues, Mr. Ken Spratt, Mr. Dave Hanley, Mr. Martin Finnucane and Mr. Ciarán Ó hÓbáin. On behalf of the committee, I congratulate Mr. Griffin on his appointment and wish him well in his new position.

I draw the witnesses' attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in respect of a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. I also wish to advise that any submission or opening statements the witnesses have submitted to the committee will be published on the committee's website after the meeting. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. I call Mr. Griffin to make his opening remarks.

Mr. Mark Griffin:

I thank the Chairman for the invitation to appear before the committee. I hope this will be the first of many constructive engagements with him and his colleagues. Many of the issues I will mention in my presentations are live in both the Telecommunications and Energy Councils and the Minister has covered them to some extent in his presentation. The Department has a wide economic brief and is responsible for policy formulation and implementation in the key national areas of communications, including broadband and digital media, energy, broadcasting, postal services and exploration and mining. The formulation and implementation of public policy in these areas of the economy are fundamental to sustainable economic development and job creation. These are critical economic sectors and there is a heavy and ongoing European agenda across most of them.

While I was invited by the committee to discuss the 2012 reports, I would also like to take the opportunity to brief the members on the successful 2013 Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. While this predated my arrival in the Department, I know from my own experience of chairing the environment working group in Brussels for Ireland's 2004 Presidency the detailed planning, sound execution and absolute commitment of staff required to deliver such a successful Presidency in the first half of this year.

I will begin with the energy agenda. The Commission’s proposal for a regulation on guidelines for a trans-European energy infrastructure was progressed in the energy working group under the Danish Presidency in the first half of last year. Published in October 2011, the proposal was part of the Commission's comprehensive package to enhance trans-European infrastructure development in transport, energy and information society. The proposal replaced the existing financing regulation for major energy projects and aimed at delivering energy market integration and completing the internal energy market. A progress report was also provided at the June Council on the regulation on safety in offshore drilling adopted by the Commission in October 2011. The objectives of the regulation were to ensure consistent use of best practice for major hazards control; to implement best regulatory practices in all EU jurisdictions, ensuring no conflict of interest between regulatory activities for safety and the environment and the economic development of offshore natural resources; to strengthen preparedness and response capacity to deal with emergencies; and to improve liability and compensation provisions.

The Commission adopted a communication on a strategy for renewable energy on 6 June 2012 and presented it at the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy, TTE, Council in June. The communication outlined several renewable policy options for the period beyond 2020 and emphasised the importance of the integration of renewables into the energy market. It also called for a more co-ordinated European approach in the establishment and reform of support schemes and increased use of renewable energy trading among member states.

There was one Energy Council in December 2012 under the Cyprus Presidency, which made further progress on the regulation on safety in offshore oil and gas drilling. Most of the provisions were agreed in Council working group and an initial trilogue with the European Parliament was held at the end of November 2012. The completion of the agreement between member states and the negotiation of the file with the Parliament was passed to the Irish Presidency. Council conclusions were adopted by Ministers at the December Council on the Commission's communication on a strategy for renewable energy.

There were two Energy Councils and one informal meeting of energy ministers under the Irish Presidency. The Councils took place on 22 February in Brussels and 7 June in Luxembourg. An informal meeting of energy ministers was held in Dublin Castle on 23 and 24 April. The main proposal covered under the Energy Councils was the amending directive on the quality of petrol and diesel fuels and on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, which amends both the renewable energy and fuel directives. The Minister discussed this with members earlier. The discussion on the file during the Irish Presidency led to general agreement that the risk of food and feed production being displaced for the production of biofuels is a serious issue that needs to be tackled. There was general support for the proposal and the Commission's objectives to promote the use of advanced biofuels to meet climate targets. There was a policy debate on the Commission's communication, Making the Internal Energy Market Work, and a general consensus that the implementation of the third package and the development of energy infrastructure, including cross-border, are essential for the completion of the internal energy market and to ensure energy security.

Following constructive negotiations by the Cyprus and Irish Presidencies of the Council and the European Parliament, the proposal for a regulation on safety in offshore oil and gas prospecting, exploration and production activities was adopted by the Council and the Parliament at the end of the Irish Presidency. This is key legislation which has as its central objectives the following: to ensure the consistent use of best practices for major hazard control by offshore oil and gas operators; to strengthen the EU’s preparedness and response capacity to deal with emergencies potentially affecting EU citizens or the environment; and to improve and clarify existing Union liability and compensation provisions.

A number of important issues were discussed at the informal Energy Council meeting in Dublin, including better control of energy consumption through smart technologies. This discussion focussed on the interaction of ICT, energy and innovation, and how to achieve better control of consumption through smart technologies. There was also an initial discussion on unconventional oil and gas and the effects on energy supply, competitiveness and prices at the informal Council. It was clear from the wide-ranging discussion and divergent views that these are early days in the discussion and that Europe is facing both opportunities and risks, which will vary depending on how the EU manages the framework for development. Such a framework would need to respect the environment and ensure public consultation and public acceptance of any emerging proposals in this area.

The informal Council also focused on identifying the barriers to financing energy efficiency. Presentations were also made on the economic effects of the integration of intermittent renewable sources into the grid. Member states noted the need for physical grid build-out and completion of market integration and that storage capacity needs to be built up to ensure intermittency is carefully and adequately managed. The joint lunchtime discussion by energy and environment Ministers at the informal Council was on the Commission’s Green Paper on the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework, which initiated a policy development process and provided a basis for a focused debate on shaping the framework for a new climate and energy package for the period to 2030. The primary aim of the Green Paper was to consult stakeholders to obtain evidence and views to support development of the 2030 framework.

It has also been a progressive 18 months in the Telecommunications Council. The Danish Presidency prioritised the proposal for a regulation on roaming on mobile telephone networks in the first six months of 2012 and reached an agreement with Parliament at first reading at the end of March. This proposal aims to bring competition into the roaming market through structural measures that will enable alternative operators to provide roaming services to consumers using the networks of the main operators. It also reduces further the wholesale and retail charges for voice, SMS and data services and introduces retail price caps for data roaming. The regulation came into effect on 1 July 2012.

The Danish Presidency also focused on two other legislative files: the amending directive on the re-use of public sector information, known as the PSI directive, and the regulation on guidelines for trans-European telecommunications networks, known as the CEF telecommunications guidelines. Both files were taken forward by the Danish Presidency and the Cypriot Presidency, which also identified the regulation concerning the European Network and Information Security Agency, ENISA, as a priority proposal. The Minister set out at the end of last year the incoming Irish Presidency priorities of reaching agreement with Parliament on the ENISA regulation, the PSI directive and the CEF telecommunications guidelines. Agreement was reached on the first two files by the end of the Presidency. The purpose of the CEF telecommunications guidelines was to establish a series of guidelines covering the objectives and priorities envisaged for broadband and digital service infrastructures in the telecommunications sector. Considerable progress was being made on this proposal under the Irish Presidency up to the end of February. In March, the European Council reduced the funding available for the sector from €9 billion to €1 billion, following which the Commission withdrew the proposal for reconsideration. Following lengthy internal discussions, a revised proposal was presented by the Commission at the end of May, which was too late for further work on the proposal under the Irish Presidency. Political agreement was achieved earlier this month. Agreement has also been reached on the umbrella CEF regulation and the other two sectoral guidelines in transport and energy.

Work was also substantially advanced under the Irish Presidency on the regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, also known as the eIDAS, eID authentication and signing, proposal.

The purpose of this proposal is to enhance security and trust in online transactions and to encourage the provision and use of online services requiring electronic identification throughout the EU. This complex technical file was examined on 12 occasions in the Council working party during the Irish Presidency. In addition, two seminars on specific aspects of the proposal were held by the Presidency in conjunction with the Commission. Significant progress was achieved on the sections dealing with electronic identification and a substantial progress report was presented at the TTE Council in June.

With regard to the TTE Council, Ireland’s Presidency concluded with a highly successful digital agenda assembly which was held in Dublin Castle on 19 and 20 June. This was the first time the event had been held outside Brussels, and it was attended by more than 600 delegates, with a further 4,000 following it online. The assembly programme had a strong emphasis on digital skills, entrepreneurship and growth. The workshops that were held focused on ICT skills and jobs, public services, research and innovation, trust and security, entrepreneurship and the digital single market.

Since the conclusion of the Irish Presidency, the Commission published in September one of the most ambitious regulations in the telecommunications sector in the last five years - the proposal concerning the European single market for electronic communications and to achieve a connected Continent. The committee was briefed by the Department on the proposed regulation in October. The Commission’s aim is that the draft regulation be adopted by the Legislature by April 2014, when this Parliament’s term will end. At the October European Council, Heads of Government and State called for an intensive examination of the proposal with a view to its timely adoption. It is clear that member states will require more time to analyse and consult on this far-reaching regulation.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. Griffin. His concluding remarks indicate that the single market for electronic communications will not be concluded by 2014. Is that because of the elections?

Mr. Mark Griffin:

Realistically, given the pace at which European business is transacted and the fact that the last meeting of the Parliament will be in April 2014 - notwithstanding that the elections are not until the following month and we will not have a new Parliament and Commission until probably the third quarter of next year - and given the perspectives that member states have expressed on the regulation so far, the divergent opinions that have emerged and the scale of negotiation that will be required at Council and Parliament level, I believe the strong likelihood is - without betting the house on it - that the regulation negotiations will not be concluded by the time the Parliament concludes its deliberations in April 2014.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As we are drawing up a work programme for early in the year, will anything significant be decided in the short term on which we should focus?

Mr. Mark Griffin:

On the telecommunications side, certain files remain open at this stage. The eIDAS proposal remains to be concluded but the likelihood is that it will not be settled before the Parliament concludes its business in April. The CEF proposal will be concluded, but I suspect that as the Parliament and Council deal with their business over the next nine months a significant degree of activity on the telecoms side in the intervening period is unlikely.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Are any proposals to be published, if not dealt with?

Mr. Mark Griffin:

It is virtually impossible at this stage for the Commission to come forward with any new proposals given the cycle that the Council and Parliament are in. Nothing productive will be done, and the proposals will fall once the Parliament falls and will need to be taken up by a new Legislature in the latter half of next year.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Mr. Griffin and offer him best wishes on his appointment, which is a crucial role. There is development at EU level and developments within member states. Are they operating at different paces? Are there any areas of concern to Mr. Griffin in which Ireland may be falling behind or going ahead, perhaps working on the assumption of EU legislative catch-up at any stage?

Mr. Mark Griffin:

I return to the discussion with the Minister a few minutes ago about broadband, which was raised by Deputy Coffey. Given where we need to be in broadband communications and the digital agenda in coming years, we have an opportunity to make some critical decisions on the delivery of broadband within our State. This is an EU-wide issue. There is a digital agenda for Europe that envisages that by 2013 all citizens will have access to a basic level of broadband, which Ireland has achieved. It has a much higher target to be achieved by 2020.

As the Minister outlined earlier, we have a pretty well-supported broadband sector in the major cities and towns. We have good competition among Eircom, UPC and Sky at this stage. The situation is not as good in rural areas and we all accept that needs to be addressed. The Government covered its broadband strategy last year, which identified the need for targeted Government investment in the provision of broadband in those areas that will not be supported by the commercial market. The Department has commenced a mapping exercise to identify the areas to which the commercial operators will provide broadband. By definition, that will identify areas in which the State needs to intervene.

In recent months the state aid guidelines have changed, requiring a rethink on the nature of the intervention on our part, and that work is still under way. It is a problem for all member states and one we want to ensure we get right in the next 12 months or so, in order that we can, as the Government says, make this country the best small country in the world in which to do business. That is a critical component of the infrastructure needed to do that.

Still on the digital theme, the Department's digital strategy published earlier this year outlines the scale of investment that is being made online by Irish people. Approximately €4 billion was spent last year, of which approximately 70% went outside the State. That is a real challenge for us in how we position small businesses in the State to gear up in order to have an online presence. They need to be able to conduct transactions online and recover some of that business. Even if they only recover 10% of it, the economy would benefit from €280 or €300 million. If the level of ambition is set higher, it would have much greater benefit for the Department. There is also a huge risk. If we do not make the right decisions in the coming years on the digital economy, there is a real risk that a much greater proportion of retail trade will be transacted online, with a consequential impact on Irish businesses, jobs and the Exchequer.

The renewable energy agenda is another area where there are developments at EU level and nationally. There are EU targets for renewable energy to be achieved by 2020.

We have set ourselves an ambition of 40% of electricity generation from renewable energies by 2020 and we are well on target to achieve this. We are slightly beyond 20% at this stage, which is a significant achievement for the State and the people active in the sector. When one considers the fact the State relies heavily on the importation of fossil fuels to run our generation businesses, it is critical we have another avenue in terms of the fuel source, and the fact we have invested so much in the development of the renewable energy sector will pay off in due course.

Our energy efficiency ambitions are quite significant. Targets are set at EU level. The Minister mentioned in his intervention the fact we will put the energy efficiency fund in place quite quickly. We have an ambitious energy efficiency target to achieve in the public sector of 33% by 2020, and we have significant targets in the private sector. Substantial investment has been made by the Government in retrofit programmes and the better energy homes and better energy warmer homes schemes, which as well as having an impact on the energy efficiency agenda and delivering the targets are also very beneficial from an economic development and job creation perspective.

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I wish Mr. Griffin well in his new role, which is very challenging given what he has outlined. There is no doubt much work has gone into setting EU and national policy with regard to the roll-out of communications and energy infrastructure. The strategies have been put in place but the difficult part is implementation. We all agree this is where the main challenges will be, and we see this with EirGrid. We also need public acceptance for the energy infrastructure, and this will be ongoing.

With regard to the renewable energy targets which have been set, are we putting all our eggs in one basket and all our hopes on the wind energy sector or are we trying to develop other areas such as wave, tidal and hydro energy? I have mentioned that more than 150 years ago in my home town, 300 kW of power were generated from the local river Clodagh. Not 1 kW is generated from the river now. One must consider the opportunities and potential for small micro projects which would heighten public awareness and get community engagement in renewable energies. Some focus should be on this as well as on large economic investment projects such as wind energy projects. We should not give up on this area. Communities could get involved in other smaller projects. Is anything being done in this regard at departmental level to try to get buy-in through schools or communities?

With regard to energy efficiency in homes, smart metering was a buzzword a few years ago. Where is it now? For a very small investment a household could have a meter to indicate exact consumption at particular times. A pilot project was proposed a number of years ago. Is it intended to roll this out in communities to give people better understanding? No matter what policies are adopted at the highest levels, unless we have public engagement and public awareness we will find it very difficult to implement them across the board. Human behaviour must change, and this goes for the private and public sectors. I suspect much poor practice occurs with regard to building management and energy efficiency in the public sector. In many public buildings the heating may be on full blast and there may also be air conditioning trying to cool down the heating. Public buildings may have conflicting energy efficiency models. This is an area we can certainly work on and big savings are to be achieved not only to the public purse but also in reducing carbon emissions. I would like to hear Mr. Griffin's views on this.

I spoke to the Minister about broadband and the assets we have, such as metropolitan area networks and semi-State agencies such as EirGrid, which I understand has telecommunication fibre wrapped around its main transmission networks running throughout the country. I understand Iarnród Éireann also has telecommunication networks. How are EirGrid, Iarnród Éireann and the metropolitan area networks co-ordinated? What connects them to ensure we get the best value from this asset in order that we sweat it to the maximum potential? These are all semi-State or State agencies and we need a body or agency co-ordinating this to ensure we get the maximum benefit from existing assets.

I welcome planned investment and I mentioned the Aurora dark fibre network which we need in the south east if we are to be competitive. This needs to continue and I hope we get the capital resources to invest in it. In this respect I ask Mr. Griffin whether this specific investment must come from the public purse or whether public private partnerships are possible in the roll-out of this type of infrastructure.

Mr. Mark Griffin:

I will take the last question first. Deputy Coffey is correct with regard to broadband and the fact so much infrastructure is in place in the State sector. The 2012 broadband plan contained an intention to examine the totality of the infrastructure which existed in the State sector, whether in the Office of Public Works, Iarnród Éireann, Bord Gáis or the Department because apparently the Department owns ducts throughout the country, which was a great surprise to me when I joined the Department. A substantial amount of this work has been undertaken.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Did Mr. Griffin say "ducks" or "ducts"?

Mr. Mark Griffin:

I said "ducts" but it would not surprise me if we had the occasional duck or hen around the place either. A considerable amount of work has been done on the issue by NewERA. The work is not finalised but it is beginning to show that a substantial amount of infrastructure is in State ownership, spread throughout a range of State agencies, and we need to examine this to see how to leverage it in the development of State intervention. In so far as how this State intervention would be funded, we are examining whether the Exchequer would need to commit to it exclusively or whether it could be funded or part-funded by the infrastructure fund or the National Pensions Reserve Fund, NPRF, and whether pension funds would be interested in getting involved in the business. This is contingent on how commercial a proposition it is. The NPRF and the Irish strategic investment fund will invest on the basis a proposition is commercial and there will be a commercial return. It may well be some of the interventions we must make are not commercial by nature. We need to examine this. It is an issue in which the Department is heavily engaged at present.

With regard to the renewable energy sector and whether we are putting all our eggs in the large project basket, the big interventions will be in wind energy and we have seen many of these projects put in place. Significant investment has been made in wind energy in recent years and at present we have approximately 2,100 MW installed wind capacity. We need approximately 3,500 MW or 4,000 MW to meet our 2020 targets, so there is still a bit of headroom in terms of what needs to be achieved. Through the Gate 3 process we have enough planned capacity to meet our 2020 targets.

Deputy Coffey is correct that there are potentially significant opportunities in offshore, wave and tidal energy.

The Minister will shortly publish an offshore renewable energy development plan which will consider what needs to be done to enable the conditions for effective offshore wave and tidal capacity as well as offshore wind capacity. We have committed moneys from the Department's Vote to ocean research development and demonstration projects. We will have spent €26.3 million by 2016, an increase of €16.8 million on what was originally budgeted, on development sites, for example, the Coastal and Marine Research Centre, CMRC, in Cork and the Marine Institute test sites in Cork and Galway. Investment has been made and more is to come. We are hopeful there will be significant developments in this field during the coming years.

The Deputy raised the issue of public awareness. As a principle, I am supportive of public awareness. Interventions need to be targeted. There was some criticism of what was delivered by the Power of One campaign of a number of years ago. The Department has lessons to learn about the effectiveness of that process. The Commission for Energy Regulation, CER, also has an awareness dimension.

I understand the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, has embarked on an awareness campaign in recent weeks to promote the availability of retrofit grants. We have secured additional money for that purpose in 2014. The SEAI wants to communicate to householders the fact these grant schemes exist, how to access them and their value to householders.

The general issue of public consultation is critical, given the reaction of communities in recent months to the proposed export project in the midlands. For example, communities have expressed concerns about the Grid Link project. Public consultation is a fundamental principle underpinning the Government's approach. One need only read the policy statement published by the Minister last year on behalf of the Government that made crystal clear the importance of ensuring early and adequate engagement with communities. My opinion is the agencies involved need to overcommunicate. One cannot communicate or engage enough with communities. The concerns that have been expressed are genuine and need to be addressed.

Committee members will be aware the Department started a public consultation process in October on the planning framework that will surround the export project if an intergovernmental agreement is concluded by the Irish and British Governments. The deadline for the first phase was last Friday. As of late last week, we had received 200 submissions, which is great. It is important that people have an opportunity to engage on this project. There will be at least two further stages of consultation as part of the programme. A strategic environmental assessment and an appropriate assessment will also be undertaken. A robust planning framework will be put in place to allow the public full access to the consultation process. This is important and the steps taken by the Department in this regard have been constructive.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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On a point of clarification, Mr. Griffin's definition of "consultation", my definition and that of the communities might differ.

Mr. Mark Griffin:

Yes.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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Consultation depends on the extent to which options are open or closed. If I tell a community that I am going to engage in full consultation when a decision to overground has been made, it is not consultation. Overcommunication could be viewed as just nagging people to the point at which they give up and say "okay". To what extent is the Government considering the range of options and which of those options are still open at the point of going to communication? This is the concern of both communities.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Phelan wishes to contribute. We will get an answer for Deputy Colreavy.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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I will develop Deputy Colreavy's point. I am glad to hear the Department has taken on board the fact that people's concerns are genuine. It does not matter how long we discuss this matter. The crucial issue is not consultation. There is a willingness on the part of the semi-State to listen to what people are saying, but it seems to them that is all the semi-State is doing, in that it has made up its mind. This is where the consultation is falling down. People have gone blue in the face talking, but they are not being heard. This is the problem. Listening to people and hearing what they say are completely different things.

To what extent has the use of existing infrastructure been considered? This is the most important element. It is not a question of the length of consultation, but of whether to underground or overground. That said, I am happy the consultation period has been extended, as it will give the communities a chance.

The Commission provided a progress report on the nuclear stress tests. Is it possible to get a summary of that report?

The question of how to inform people of how to engage with the SEAI process needs to be considered. People ring my office every day asking how to engage. We are spending quite a bit of money on that area.

How important is cloud computing to the small to medium-sized enterprise, SME, sector? What progress has been made on an EU legal framework on data retrieval and protection?

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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A couple of the questions related to the consultation process, which is not on the agenda, but I agree with members in the sense that consultation has different meanings for different people. Some of the communities that appeared before us last week would allege they have been consulted only on where to place the pylon.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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Yes.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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If Mr. Griffin answered those questions, we would appreciate it.

Mr. Mark Griffin:

I might revert to that issue in a moment. EirGrid will appear before the committee next week and it will be able to deal comprehensively with the detail of its approach to consultation.

Deputy Phelan was right about the need for the State to devote attention to cloud computing, given its importance to the SME sector. We are doing so. Action Plan for Jobs, on which the Taoiseach provided an update yesterday, contains a great deal of material on this area. I cannot answer the question on data retrieval and protection, however, as they fall under the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.

I can give only a general response because it is not something I have the competence to deal with. The decision by a number of big companies to locate their data centres in the State has been a very positive development from a job creation perspective. It also reflects the robustness of the data connections between Ireland and the US.

On the nuclear stress tests, I will check the situation in relation to the progress report. I gather the Council will be given an update by Commissioner Oettinger at the December Council. We will see if we can make that report available to the committee.

As the Minister said about the EirGrid issue, a positive development has been the agreement by the agency, at the request of the Minister and the committee, to extend the consultation period until 7 January next. I am aware of the concerns expressed by communities. I have a sister-in-law living in Aglish and so hear first-hand from time to time about what is happening locally and the distinction being made by some people between consultation and engagement.

Ann Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Labour)
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That is always helpful.

Mr. Mark Griffin:

What EirGrid has done on Grid Link in terms of setting out the corridor options and so on was the right thing to do. There was always the risk, if it did not take that approach, that it would be accused of rushing to judgment and deciding on a single route option without having taken account of all the possibilities that exist. This approach has led to concerns at local level, about which I am sure Members as local representatives are hearing. I know that EirGrid wishes to address these concerns and to continue the engagement process. We will have to wait and see what happens over the next month in terms of how this works out.

The Minister has spoken extensively on this issue in the Dáil and Seanad over the past ten days. He dealt with the matter in the Seanad last Tuesday week and again in the Dáil last Thursday night by way of a Topical Issue matter, at which time he set out as best he could at this stage Government policy on the matter. He also made it clear that it is not his role or that of the Government or his Department to direct infrastructure developers to particular sites, routes or technologies. This is clearly set out in the Government policy statement. I am not prepared to say much more than that at this stage. It is important we allow the consultation process to continue. Members will have an opportunity to go into detail with EirGrid next week on its thinking in terms of route selection and overgrounding versus undergrounding.

The consultation document published in September by EirGrid, which kicked off this phase of the consultation process, sets out the rationale and considerations around the overgrounding versus undergrounding option. There are technical and cost considerations involved. This is, unfortunately, a hard issue with which to grapple. I read the material submitted by EirGrid. It is technical, complex and difficult to get behind. Next week's committee meeting with EirGrid is an opportunity for the agency to explain the issues around overgrounding, visual amenity and how this can be dealt with in terms of the planning process. It is also an opportunity for EirGrid to explain its thinking in terms of the next stage of the process as the route options are considered and the feedback is received from the public consultation process.

John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank Mr. Griffin for his response. It is important he is made aware of the concerns being expressed to us by communities. I have no doubt he will be following closely next week's meeting with EirGrid. We may engage further with Mr. Griffin on the matter.

I thank Mr. Griffin and his colleagues for attending this meeting and updating us on the work of the Department. I wish them all well in their work on this issue. I have no doubt we will meet with them again at some stage.