Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I will be brief. I missed some of the presentations because I was at other meetings. I have two questions for the Department and one for Mr. Maguire. I have an issue with where we are with our emissions and where we will be going with our emissions. We are now talking about 2020 but I am asking about after 2020. We have two coal plants on the island that are considerable. There is Moneypoint and there is one in Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. We have an all-Ireland grid. That is where we are at the moment. With Brexit coming down the line, we have issues regarding licensing. Different licensing could be brought in. What negotiations and what thoughts has the Department put into those issues? Where is the Department regarding an all-Ireland electricity platform if we have a Brexit? How will we deal with the regulations attached to it? If we have one coal plant in the South doing one thing and sticking to the regulations and one coal plant in another jurisdiction in the same energy network doing something else, how can we work towards targets after 2020? I am asking what body of work is behind that thought. What information can the witnesses give to assure me we have a plan in place and that we are thinking about it and planning for an unfortunate situation if it arises? I do not know what will happen with Brexit but I want to know the plan.

The other issue for the Department is solar farms, which have been an issue in recent months if not years. There have been issues regarding planning permissions that we have seen throughout the country. Tonight we have no planning guidelines for those solar farms. Local authorities and local councils throughout the country have been requesting the Department to bring forward those guidelines. There have been several motions passed throughout the entire country. We have not seen them. We have no indication they are happening. The line we got back is that there are appropriate measures in place. The view of some local authority planners is that there is not. What is the Department's view on that? Will the Department be bringing forward guidelines and when will it be bringing them forward? It is holding back the industry. It is holding back the ability of local authorities to make proper planning permissions, when we take into consideration some of the decisions by An Bord Pleanála in recent months. It is a key issue in why the industry has not progressed, why some planning has not progressed and why some residents feel their voices have not been heard. The industry can move forward. It is a very important tool that the Department needs to come forward with. The Department could say it is the responsibility of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government but it is an important issue that the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment should look at and on which it should bring forward recommendations.

My final question is to Mr. Maguire on solar farms. If the tariff issue were to be sorted tomorrow morning, when does he think they could be installed and what impact does he think it would have on the impending financial penalty issues? What does he believe he can bring to the table regarding those financial penalties?