Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

The recently adopted nitrates package will also have a significant impact, as will the decoupling of payments. All of those factors will result in change. One could say these are determined by external factors but they are Government policy.

A grant package for housing was announced in the 2006 budget — the greener homes initiative of which the take-up has been significant. I understand that in excess of 8,500 applications for this grant have been made. As Deputy McCormack is aware, the grants are for solar panels, geothermal heating and conversion to wood chip, which is doubly beneficial as we have indigenous sources of production. Such a take-up would generate a significant improvement in emissions. I outlined the tonnage earlier.

The Deputy's other question related to the savings from changing buildings. Roughly speaking, one is talking about 300,000 tonnes of CO2 per year from the changes in the new, better building standards. As I stated, a variety of issues is involved.

Deputy McCormack may have missed this on Sunday as there were other excitements that took people away from the Sunday newspapers, but it was announced that the prohibition on the building of a nuclear power station will continue to be the law of the land. As the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources stated on Sunday, it is unlikely that any political party in the country would move away from that position.

See this speech in context