Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

On Deputy Kenny's first point, I do not know exactly how many of the OECD's recommendations were implemented, but I know it is a large number. This is helping in the work in that there has been direct engagement over the past year. Senior business people and senior representatives of IBEC and the chambers of commerce are involved in the setting up of new regulations for business, which is helping in regard to future regulation. The business regulation forum is considering all the issues, which is certainly helping.

As I said to Deputy Rabbitte, the concept of business regulation arose through IBEC with a view to developing formalised working relationships with the Government regarding regulation. The forum has advised the Government on regulatory issues in so far as they impact on business and competitiveness. Particular problems arise from outdated, inefficient or disproportionate regulation and these are being addressed by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The small business people have fed into the process.

There is no doubt that the issue of energy, with which I will not deal directly, has become the main issue at European Council meetings, bearing in mind that it was not mentioned at them heretofore. The Commission for Energy Regulation is the independent statutory body established under the Electricity Regulation Act, passed by this House, and it has regulated the electricity market over recent years. Its functions and duties are wide-ranging and have grown rapidly since its establishment. This is likely to continue. In line with the EU directive requirements, full market opening has been in place for the past 14 months, since 19 February last year. That represents the culmination of a number of years of planning and development and market implementation. From a regulatory viewpoint, while the delivery of a fully liberalised retail market is a major achievement, a significant amount of work is needed to create an electricity market in this country to optimise the benefits of liberalisation and compliance and the impact of competition for customers. It is an issue that the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and the regulator must continue to deal with.

On the Deputy's broader question about the issue of supply, without getting into a long answer, we will have to deal with energy on a European level. That is the solution. It has not been the case up to now. The contribution of the new German Chancellor Angela Merkel to this debate is one I support. There is no doubt that Russia is going to play hardball. It has gone back into itself. Everybody is concerned about that situation. The Russians have fallen on their feet and——

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