Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

A key problem that regularly arises in times of crisis or major developments in the area of energy is the failure by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources to set out his objectives in directives. In that context, I welcome what the Minister of State has said in terms of outlining the key objectives which should be set out in any directive from the Minister to the CER.

Some 20 years ago, when the former leader of the Labour Party, Dick Spring, was Minister for Energy, he set out the principles which should guide any coherent energy policy. These principles, which included security of supply, competitiveness and sustainability, remain relevant, so it is good to see provision being made for them in the legislation governing the CER. Therefore, I commend the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, on listening to the argument I made in respect of amendment No. 51.

Earlier I made a lengthy contribution on energy poverty and I continue to be unhappy that the Green Paper devoted only one page to the issue, even though it will profoundly affect our constituents over the coming winter. We have to act drastically in light of what has happened in the CER and we will be depending on the fiscal response of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, to alleviate the problem. Deloitte & Touche estimates that 20% of the population, or 750,000 people, suffers from energy poverty and research I have conducted for the Labour Party indicates that 250,000 people are profoundly affected and up to 500,000 deeply affected by the problem. Many people were shocked to learn the extent of the energy problem from the professional and academic study conducted by Deloitte & Touche. I urge the Minister of State to reconsider amendment No. 51 with a view to including energy and fuel poverty among the CER's responsibilities. Recent energy price increases have had a severe impact, despite reports from Bord Gáis Éireann and Flogas that home heating oil prices have fallen below the price of gas. Last winter also saw significant increases in the price of home heating oil.

Amendment No. 52 represents an advance on the Bill as originally presented to the House. The extension to the time period for consultations is welcome. In my contribution on behalf of the Labour Party to the review of the Green Paper, I will be arguing strongly for the inclusion of fuel poverty in the final White Paper and any legislation subsequently introduced.

Amendment No. 54 is in line with many of the amendments that Deputy Durkan and I proposed on Committee Stage with regard to laying draft directives before the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources or any future Oireachtas committee on energy. Full discussions on these matters would ensure that Departments could not disappear because of mistaken ministerial orders. The way in which orders are presented as motions to the House and then sent to the library means that it is difficult for Deputies to understand exactly what is happening.

With regard to amendment No. 56, the Green Party's Climate Change Targets Bill 2005 was thought-provoking and useful. The Bill proposed that we would conduct regular examinations and hold full debates on climate change. In terms of energy, we are faced with the fundamental challenges of climate change, which no serious scientist would now dispute, and the depletion of fossil resources. Given that we will have to adapt our economy over coming decades if we are to become sustainable, it is reasonable to set targets. Earlier a young Irish company made representations to Deputies with regard to meeting the target set by the EU for biofuels. A target was set for 2005 of producing 2% of liquid fuels from biofuel but, shamefully, the Government only reached 0.00004%. That young company is trying to rectify the Government's failure to meet the target. We all need targets. For example, Government and Opposition parties have set targets for the number of seats they want to win in the next general election. With regard to this fundamental issue, we will hopefully meet the 2010 EU biofuel target of 5.75%. The Minister recently changed the target for renewable sources of electricity for 2010 from 13.4% to 15%. He has a target of 30% for 2020. He is already setting targets.

Energy issues have very long lead times. Very little can be achieved even in the lifetime of one government and we need to be thinking in terms of seven to ten years in planning to move generation towards renewable sources. We should be looking towards 2030, a quarter of a century from now, or perhaps 2050 to achieve a zero emissions economy as a reasonable ambition for any country. We should be prepared to set targets and review them regularly here. The discussion we had on the Green Party Bill on climate change should be repeated on a regular basis in the remaining months of this Dáil and in future Dáileanna. I urge the Minister of State to accept amendment No. 56 in the spirit in which it was tabled.

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