Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

I refer to the energy report of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources of June 2006 which contained 38 recommendations. A Green Paper followed from that in October and we await the White Paper on Energy. We are making much progress in regard to energy. Since coming into office, the Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey, has very much focused on the energy sector and on the difficulties facing not only Ireland but the world. We commend him for so doing. Over the past year or two, for the first time ever, the people have begun to focus on security of supply and on whether fossil fuel is finite. They are also looking at ways to save energy.

The success of grants introduced by the Department and administered by Sustainable Energy Ireland for renewable energy, whether solar panels, geothermal pumps or wood pellets, has been phenomenal. People are concerned about their energy needs and are looking at ways to reduce them and save energy. I would like all new builds to have solar panels on their roofs to avail of energy generated by the sun when it shines. It would not be very expensive to put solar panels on roofs to help meet the energy needs of households. I hope the policymakers will consider that suggestion and other alternative sources of energy which could be built into new builds. I note a number of companies offer different specifications to do that. I hope we move towards keypad metering and that the ESB and Bord Gáis move towards this so people would be aware of their energy consumption and would do something to reduce it.

As Chairman of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I fully appreciate the importance of building a more sustainable transport future. As the Minister outlined, this Bill, in its approach to encourage bio-fuel development, is flawed. I am surprised at Deputy Durkan because he contributed to the 38 recommendations made by the joint committee. Indeed, his fingerprints are on a number of the recommendations here which are already in place and where the policies are being developed by the Minister and the Department.

I welcome the fact it is the Minister's intention to introduce an obligation on fuel supply companies to have an average of 5.75% bio-fuels in their overall annual transport fuel sales by 2009. He is giving us enough time to do that. Those who manufacture vehicles and engines must convert engines to ensure we can use bio-fuels.

Representatives of Cork City Council appeared before the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Indeed, members of the joint committee went to see Cork City Council's fleet of vehicles. It is interesting to note that 5% of the transport fleet of Cork City Council is run on alternative fuels, includingrapeseed oil etc. Perhaps the Minister and his Government colleagues might look at the transport fleet of companies, local authorities and Government bodies to see if vehicles could be converted to run on bio-fuel. We should encourage other local authorities to follow the example of Cork City Council. Perhaps other local authorities have done so but there is an opportunity for us to lead the way and to seek the conversion of all vehicles in the ownership of the State or statutory bodies to run 100% on bio-fuels.

As Chairman of the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I have presided over a number of important debates on renewal energy policy not only in the transport sector but in the renewable heat and electricity sectors. The pace of development and the scale of achievement have been very positive and encouraging. In addition to the successful bio-fuels mineral oil tax relief schemes and the newly announced bio-fuels obligation, we have introduced several innovative support schemes for the renewable heat and electricity sectors. The renewal energy feed in tariff programme has been extremely successful. The €47 million greener homes domestic renewable heat grants programme has been very successful with over 13,000 grant applications. I am thinking of getting a solar panel to see if it will help save on my energy use.

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