Michael Mulcahy (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State and support the Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2006. It is very important legislation which governs one of the most critical parts of our infrastructure, namely, the energy sector. Energy is the core of any economy. To take it away would mean taking away one's ability to read, have light, cook or run factories and transport. Energy is at the core of the way people live and create wealth. This is why it is time the energy portfolio was taken from what has become too big a Department. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is too big for any one Minister to handle, no matter how competent or from which party. The seriousness of the energy situation is such that it is time to have a dedicated Department of Energy whose sole focus is on the two sides of the energy coin, that of consumption, on the one hand, and production, on the other. I will come back to that aspect later.

The Bill has a number of important features deserving of support in this House. Section 3 is perhaps the most important section and concerns an all-Ireland energy market. That is consistent with the political progress on this island in the past ten or 15 years. We have developed North-South co-operation in waterways, tourism and transport links, and it is now timely and vital that we have an all-Ireland energy market where the increase in the number of consumers can only work to the benefit of the energy market and, I hope, reduce prices.

I also welcome section 4, which contains provisions for the standards of training for electrical contractors. Much work in this area has already been done because various institutes such as the AECI and RECI have already by and large brought a high standard into electrical contracting in Ireland, but I am glad there will be a function for the Department and the Commission for Energy Regulation.

I also welcome section 6, which allows for policy directions to be given by the Minister to the Commission for Energy Regulation. This is important and the section should be mirrored in other legislation. As a society, we are wrong to set up regulators in all aspects of our lives, such as telecommunications, education, energy and so on, and allow these regulators to lead what appears to be an independent life away from the authority of this House.

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