Donie Cassidy (Westmeath, Fianna Fail)

The proposal before the House today is an important one, which I welcome. I also welcome the Minister, who is here to listen to the views of backbenchers and rural Deputies in particular. The challenges today are completely different to those faced by Members of this House and the Seanad for many decades, since the foundation of our State. These challenges are connected to issues that are not within our control. They are serious challenges for the Minister, the Taoiseach and the Government, which, despite not being within their control, must be addressed to determine the alternatives. While the pill might be bitter in the short term, in the long term we cannot continue to have uncertainty in the marketplace.

We must acknowledge all those who have worked in the ESB and in the gas industry and express our gratitude for what they contributed to Ireland. Those Members who were born before the 1950s will remember the rural electrification scheme between 1954 and 1956 and the excitement at the new technology. In those years we celebrated electricity arriving in the rural areas. I come from the rural constituency of north Westmeath and pay tribute to all who worked in the ESB and made a contribution. I also pay tribute to those who worked so hard for many years in Bord na Móna. The Minister was born in Ballivor and I was born on the outskirts of Coolnagun. We both appreciate what Bord na Móna meant to our areas. We are aware of the employment it created for more than 300 people in each area. It gave meaningful employment to people when there was no other employment available, kept communities alive and clubs functioning, particularly those of the Gaelic Athletic Association.

I doubt that Ireland would be in the healthy position it is in today were it not for the foresight of the then Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, and Todd Andrews, in creating Bord na Móna in 1946. However, it is past its time and we have moved on. The challenge before the Government today is to determine what we can do and express views that will assist the Minister in this great challenge of the 21st century.

I support private enterprise and believe in letting the experts get on with the job because they tend to it in less time and more efficiently. Nonetheless, the Government has a responsibility, with regard to energy resources, to ensure that the consumer is able to obtain energy at affordable prices and in a sustainable manner.

I commend the Minister for introducing this Bill, section 3 of which amends the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, by providing that it shall be a new function of the CER to participate in the development of an all-island energy market. The policy on such a market is encapsulated in the all-island energy market development framework document, published in November 2004 by the Minister and his Northern Ireland counterpart, Mr. Barry Gardiner, MP.

The alternatives mentioned by colleagues in this House, including wind power and solar energy, deserve the full consideration of everyone concerned. We must encourage a situation where consumers have alternatives available to them. I have seen wind turbines in action and support them. In that regard, I congratulate Westmeath County Council and the county planner in particular, who has identified in the action plan and county development plan, parts of the county that will be suitable for the generation of wind power.

The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, said last week that an extended area of County Westmeath will be included in the CLÁR programme. I share part of the constituency of County Westmeath with the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and Deputies Brady and English. I draw the Minister's attention to the fact that more than half of his new area in County Westmeath is now in the CLÁR programme, which provides an opportunity for the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to play a major part in the area. The north Westmeath area will, for the first time, see unprecedented growth and development. This is particularly true of our towns and villages, where sewerage schemes have been allocated funding. My town of Castlepollard, where a new sewerage scheme was installed in 1990 under the then Minister, Mr. Pádraig Flynn, is ripe for development and the private sector is responding magnificently. We have a new second level college, which Deputy Noel Dempsey had the privilege of opening when he was Minister for Education and Science. As former Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Noel Dempsey also participated in the development of a new civic centre for Castlepollard, in the north Westmeath area.

It is only sustainable Government or local authority jobs that will keep areas like ours alive, where the population has been in decline for many years. Thankfully, that decline has stopped now. Emigration has ceased and the population of the area is growing. There are very many grandparents in the area who, for the first time, are watching their grandchildren grow up nearby. In the past, they received letters from the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, with photographs of their grandchildren, whom they only saw when they came back to Ireland on holidays. Some only saw their grandchildren when they had become adults. That is no longer the case. We have seen a transformation as opportunities are now available to people in places where they never were before, such as Westmeath, especially in the north of the county. The people of our neighbouring county of Longford had to endure the same experience we had to in Westmeath.

Turbines provide one possibility for wind energy. However, the Minister should convince the Government, the Minister for Finance in particular, to consider capital allowances in the next budget for entrepreneurs and innovators to examine technology and alternatives to the turbine system. I understand one such project is at a very advanced stage. However, the entrepreneur developing it has spent a fortune of his own resources with no recognition or acknowledgement. Such technologies could be made available to the country, our neighbouring countries in Europe and the world. Irish entrepreneurs and innovators are better per head of population than anywhere else in the world. Incentives should be introduced for the challenge facing us on future energy demands.

Solar energy was mentioned. We build 80,000 to 85,000 houses per year in Ireland, a magnificent achievement which we should celebrate. However, as was stated by previous speakers, we certainly should direct, assist and encourage our people by giving them incentives to go the extra mile and use alternative energy supplies in their homes. The industry would respond magnificently if it were given the opportunity and incentive to do so. A few extra thousand euro to encourage people to do this would be money well spent in the long term. Motor transportation has increased by more than 2,000 units in Ireland during the past number of years. This is another sign of our prosperity, achievement and success. We should also examine incentives and acknowledge responses in this area.

It is a good time in our country's history. I have never seen such buoyancy in the economy. Friends often ask about the good old days. Recently, at our local mission, someone much more senior than me stated that the good old days are here. He has never seen anything like the present opportunities and buoyant economy.

We joined Europe and reduced the dreaded high interest rates. Most of us worked all our lives to pay the banks' high interest rates in the hope that down the road our businesses would come good and we would be able to keep the family and employees in jobs. To the eternal credit of this Government and all Governments of the past 20 years, reducing the interest rates to today's level gives everyone a tremendous opportunity. The economy has the buoyancy to face the energy challenge and consumers will respond if we provide them with incentives and available expert guidance.

We are here as conduits for our people to encourage the Minister, the Government and the Departments to go the extra mile as they could not do so at a better time. The consumer is willing and able to respond. I welcome the Bill and look forward to its safe passage through the House. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to address the House on this issue.

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