Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I will however make one point about the motion, which is interesting and raises a number of good points. I am astounded that no reference is made to the issue of energy poverty, particularly as it affects disadvantaged families and senior citizens. Senior citizens and the people who look after them have made that point to me. It is not just an issue in Tallaght, but throughout the Dublin region and the country. I am sure my colleagues taking part in the debate will make the same point. I expect people to visit my eight weekly clinics with a variety of issues but energy policy and poverty have arisen recently.

Other colleagues mentioned that we have received a huge number of pre-budget submissions from all sorts of organisations. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has raised energy costs, as have businesses. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, and I, along with other colleagues in Dublin South West, have received an excellent pre-budget submission from the South Dublin Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Tallaght business park. I have read its submission, entitled Securing Our Prosperity, with great interest, as Members would expect. It questions the ability of business to remain competitive, which is of concern not just in the Dublin region, but in Kerry, Galway and everywhere else.

The cost of energy becomes more acute as winter approaches, although we are lucky enough to be having a relatively mild winter so far. As the weather deteriorates in the next couple of months, as I suspect, it will become an even more important issue. I expect that the issue will not only fall on the desk of the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources but on those of other Ministers, particularly Deputy Brennan. I expect the Minister for Social and Family Affairs to consider the challenges that presents in a special way.

I do not wish to patronise but I am a fan of the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and I congratulate him on his work. People tell us there are challenges as far as energy costs are concerned and I hope he understands that Members on the Government benches will say so as much as anybody else.

Other colleagues will be far more technical than I but we are hugely dependent on imported gas — the primary fuel used in power generation — from the UK, amounting to over 86% of our national requirement. The procurement costs of gas have risen by 50% in the past 12 months because of international wholesale prices. The Minister has acted on these issues by making a commitment to deliver on energy policy priorities, which include investment in energy infrastructure and setting achievable targets for renewable energy sources.

The publication of the Green Paper on Energy, which will work towards a sustainable energy future for Ireland, is something we should note. The public bodies which have direct input into this strategy, including the National Competitiveness Council, Forfás, IBEC, the ESRI and the enterprise strategy group are taking a particular interest.

I have just spent a sad three quarters of an hour listening to President George W. Bush's press conference in Washington, in which he took a very benign approach to politics, as happens the day after an election. He spoke about working with everybody——

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