Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

I listened to the questions asked by Deputy Joe Higgins yesterday and I am glad my colleague in the Technical Group raised the issue of climate change. Last Monday we heard from the Institute of European Affairs about the challenges being faced. Throughout Europe people are talking about how we will reduce emissions to 20% below 1990 levels. In this country there has been a 7% growth in transport per annum instead of a reduction. We are faced with trying to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by a third.

The Taoiseach appears to be making change hard for himself and I wonder if that is necessary. Deloitte & Touche recommended that the transmission grid should be separated from the country's generation capacity. The ESB, therefore, would not be in charge of the grid any more but would be a separate concern. The Kish Bank offshore project was given a support mechanism for 2003 but was left in the hands of the ESB and there is no movement on that. Does the Taoiseach not get the message that the ESB is dragging its heels? The Government must give a direction as to how things must proceed. At the same time, Irish companies such as Airtricity and OpenHydro are throwing their hands up in despair and heading to places such as Scotland, Texas or China to invest and make enough electricity to keep Ireland going.

The Taoiseach is not giving direction to the ESB. Why has the interconnector been delayed for four years? There is no facility for small producers in the domestic sector to sell to the grid, even though that is possible in other developed countries such as Australia, America and European states. Will the Taoiseach separate the grid from the generation sector? Will he direct the ESB to install smart metering in every home within five years? It could save a considerable amount on household electricity bills as well as improve the country's ability to deal with climate change. Why has there been a delay with the interconnector, which would help in this regard? A four year delay is inexplicable. Finally, will the Taoiseach give a direction to the ESB that it is time to go green and that it must ensure we are self reliant in renewable energy? The way it is going at present is wrong.

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