Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

He can charge up and down the country in his Lexus or Prius and proclaim to all and sundry that he travels in a truly eco-friendly manner and is about to solve our environmental problems. The one positive step the Government has made was to adopt Fine Gael policy on energy, transport and conservation. Although a move in the right direction, it has been obscured by the Government's mad rush to get consultants to make a new policy announcement every day.

Environmental policies need to be developed. In the area of energy the Government must invest in research and development rather than purchasing carbon credits. Alternative energies must be developed because they are ecologically friendly and economically viable and make a contribution to the continuity and security of supply. In light of the importance of employment and competitiveness, these energy sources would also make a meaningful and beneficial contribution to import substitution. The policy is done and dusted and requires nothing more than to be implemented. We do not need further public relations exercises such as those associated with the famous electronic voting machines. I believe we tried to throw them in the river but they would not float.

Instead of complaining and moaning, why does the Government not invest substantially more in the development of bio-crops? Deputy Naughten will elaborate on this issue. Why does it not increase the amount of pure plant oil which will qualify for excise relief? Other countries have done this effectively and, in so doing, are making a contribution towards environmental protection.

Everyone has a role to play on the environment. In recent days, I have observed the relevant Departments circle each other, initially with suspicion, before becoming immersed in a debate. The Departments of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Transport, Finance, Communications, Marine and Natural Resources and Agriculture and Food have common cause and must come together and join up to provide the alternatives required. There are those who will scoff and argue that Ireland cannot produce sufficient alternative fuels and must import them. From where would we import them? It is not a good or eco-friendly idea to import fuel produced in Brazil.

It is not nearly as friendly as to grow it at home, where transport is reduced to a minimum and the benefits to the home economy of the associated employment operate in a way that would not happen elsewhere.

There are areas where the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government could improve matters. Methane gas is floating up to the skies out of every sewage treatment plant in the country even as we speak, boring holes in the ozone layer and creating additional global warming, but nobody says a word about it. It is sad, but that is how it is. Methane is escaping from landfills in my constituency to such an extent that when the machinery broke down, half the people of the countryside became ill due to the inhalation of gas.

The Minister might think that is funny but those involved did not think it funny. As it is only across the county border from the Minister's area, it might escape over that border and up along the hills. One never knows, but the Minister might wake up one morning and look out, bleary eyed, into the vastness of an atmosphere that has become polluted with the same gas. The Minister could do something about this immediately. On numerous occasions in the past five years I have raised the issue of the methane gas in Leixlip in my constituency, where people can arrive at a particular place in the middle of the night and know where they are without rocket science or anything else. The Minister must apply the principles that are required to his Department in a meaningful way. He must do something, let it be beneficial to the economy, the consumer and the environment, but he cannot just keep talking around the subject and doing nothing. It is in his hands.

While my colleague, Deputy Olivia Mitchell, will deal with the area of transport, I wish to raise a constituency issue. The use of trains is hugely beneficial to the environment and the economy in terms of efficiency and of transporting a large number of people rapidly over a large area. Nothing compares with train transport.

I will finish on my next point as my colleagues are getting restive, which is not unknown. My wife brought the following matter to my attention. Why are all Government and public buildings illuminated day and night, with the lights on all the time? Noises have been made in this regard in recent days. I suppose when all the Government heads got together, they realised: "Ouch, why are we using these lights, because they are on all the time." If the aim is to eliminate the overuse of lights, it is a simple matter. One can use mirrors if one wants to conserve energy. There is little difficulty with this and it has been done in many other countries.

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