Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the Bill for what it contains, which is not very much. That is not a criticism of the Minister of State. When so much attention is focused on the energy industry, not only here but throughout Europe and worldwide, I would have expected the Bill to contain some earth-shattering proposals to deal with future energy requirements, to recognise the instability of energy markets and supply, especially arising from developments in eastern Europe, and to recognise the need to provide to a much greater extent, from within our own resources, by one means or another, for alternative energy production and for research and development into such production. Unfortunately the Bill does not contain any of those, although it refers to them. It deals with what are largely housekeeping issues which essentially should have been dealt with about four years ago.

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