Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

The Bill is welcome as far as it goes. It puts in place a statutory basis for what regulators are supposed to do effectively. We have yet to see evidence that deregulation will be of benefit to the consumer. I look forward to that because it is not obvious yet. I hope it will be. The Bill does not contain any short, medium or long-term plans for the provision of an energy sector that will be self sufficient, will reduce dependency on overseas energy and ensure continuity of supply.

The Bill does not deal with the future of the ESB. The Government could have mentioned the ESB somewhere in it. The ESB is the biggest energy provider in the country. It has economies of scale which other providers do not have. It is the pivotal provider so it has advantages over others. It does not have the right to prevent others from entering the market. It also does not have the right, nor does anybody have the right, to hike the prices to make it more attractive for others to enter the market. The consumer should not be screwed to the wall as a result of the necessity to include other operators in the marketplace.

The Bill could have included some reference to the Deloitte & Touche report, which is fundamental to the energy sector at present. There is not a word about it. I cannot understand how a Bill could be introduced at this stage that does not contain a reference to the Deloitte & Touche report. It should have contained such a reference. The Bill makes countless references to the CER. It reminds me of the boy in school who was offering excuses. He said: "Sir, Sir, Sir, Sir", but there was nothing else. It was a series of "Sirs".

I hope the Bill means something and that it is the forerunner of something more fundamental. Hopefully, we will get an indication, which we do not now have, of how this country will be provided with cost effective and reliable energy which will take account of the ingredients that are likely to be required in the mix to ensure we can enjoy a secure energy supply in future.

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