Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I will not go into the general issues. The new owners of Eircom are anxious and determined to deal with and get on top of the broadband and other issues. I wish them well on that.

On energy policy issues, in recent months the team has considered these and wider energy issues. Its discussions focused mainly on the issues of climate change, energy issues, particularly the overall policy direction to be given to the Environmental Protection Agency, and on preparing a second national allocation plan for the emission trading system. The team spent some time on this and its deliberations have helped to prepare the way for careful consideration of the necessary balance between environmental protection and the protection of overall competitiveness. They also helped inform Government on overall policy of the EPA and covered the features that should be included in it. The team has, therefore, played a major part. The Green Paper on Energy, which we presented last week, brings these issues together in a single document for the first time in 20 years.

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