Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)

Speaking on this Bill, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources stated: "This is a key statutory initiative driving forward a progressive energy agenda against a backdrop of a new global energy landscape with increasing demands on fuel resources." According to an explanatory note from the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, the intentions of the Bill are:

to expand the functions of the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) to underpin its work on an all-island energy market;

to remove a legislative constraint to facilitate regulated electricity interconnection not owned by ESB;

to provide for the taking of emergency measures, by means of Ministerial Order, in the event of a sudden crisis in the energy market;

to confer power on the Minister to issue policy directions to the CER;

to provide for the regulation of the electrical contracting sector by the CER;

to make provision in relation to gas safety in the context of the new multi-operator environment;

The Bill also provides for other technical measures pertaining, for example, to EU directives and the Electricity Regulation Act 1999. While these measures are welcome, the Bill is minimalist at best. We need robust policies if we are to challenge the current difficult energy environment.

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