Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I have listened carefully to the Minister's response and I will not go back over the issues. We have discussed them before and I have put the case clearly on the record here.

On a statistical matter, I ask the Minister to come back to me with the figures on the stay-and-spend scheme. I would appreciate that.

I wish to make a brief contribution on the amendment. This time last year, when the decision was made by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for the two midland power stations in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge to co-fire with biomass, it had a devastating impact right across the midland counties. We were effectively given 12 months' notice of the closure of a major industry, which is the equivalent of Google pulling out of Dublin with 12 months' notice. Had that happened in Dublin, a task force would be put in place and, in fairness, a task force was put in place in the midlands. I acknowledge that quite a number of members of the Cabinet came down and met the communities and their representatives, as would happen if Google pulled out of Dublin. The task force has made recommendations. The difficulty is that if Google were to pull out of Dublin, one could be damn sure that the recommendations would be implemented.

The Minister said he will not act on Kieran Mulvey's recommendations on alterations to state aid rules that would specifically target investment in the midland counties because he does not want to give preferential treatment to them over any other part of the country, even though we are losing the equivalent of Google. I have absolutely no doubt that if Google pulled out of the city of Dublin tomorrow morning, some incentive would be put in place to encourage someone into that office accommodation, but the Minister said that will not happen in the midlands. I am talking about 20 specific focus sites, not an across-the-board issue. If the Government appoints a task force and it specifically recommends alterations targeted at 20 specific locations along the Border, I will fully support that as well. However, across Europe, all the communities, government organisations and EU-wide organisations - the European Commission was involved in what we are talking about as well - have made recommendations that there needs to be alterations to the state aid rules, and the Minister is saying he will not make a special case for the midland counties. That is disappointing.

In addition, Kieran Mulvey has made specific recommendations that the two power plants in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge should not be demolished and that we should fully explore every opportunity for them. In fairness, every Deputy, Senator and public representative in the midlands is unanimous that those two power plants should not be demolished until all opportunities are explored. I have put it to the Minister that there are three power generation opportunities, two with private investors that have approached me and that are interested in getting involved in this and a third which I have referred to previously and which I believe, with the proper governance structures put in place, is financially viable as well, yet the Minister is saying, "Hands off. The ESB has a commercial mandate." It does, but the Government is the company's sole shareholder and there is a mechanism for the Minister and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to give a direction directly to the company. I am not asking it to lose money or to take a penny out of its pocket. In fact, the ESB, disingenuously, has looked for the €5 million that it put into the just transition fund back. It has looked for every single electricity customer in this country to refund that to them, which is wrong. I do not believe that across this country families who are struggling to pay their electricity bills should refund the ESB the €5 million it put into the just transition fund. If any additional money does come through the PSO, it must be ring-fenced and put into that just transition fund and not onto the bank balance of the ESB.