Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

I commend Deputy O'Dowd on the motion he has tabled. Before I focus on the content of the motion, I wish to deal with an issue to which Deputy O'Dowd referred in regard to procurement and e-mailing. I know the Minister is very efficient in his use of e-mails but it would be no harm if we could ensure the wheelbarrow loads of paper that arrive in Leinster House every week could be dealt with. What goes on here is criminal. We literally take two or three feet of paper from our pigeon holes, bring it up to our offices, throw it in the bins and it then comes back again. There is no need for this and it must stop.

Simple legislation which the Minister could introduce would address the issue. Under current legislation, all Government and agency reports must be circulated to the Members of the Oireachtas. This could be amended so they could be laid in the Oireachtas Library or circulated electronically to Members, rather than having the wheelbarrow loads of paperwork through which we must needlessly tread every week.

I commend the motion because it highlights one of the key issues, namely, 3% of Ireland's primary energy currently comes from renewable sources. There is a major lack of joined-up thinking by the Government on this issue. I read in some of the Sunday newspapers of the Minister's proposals with regard to the national climate change strategy, which refers to "support for combined heat and power projects". Despite this, the Commission for Energy Regulation has decided to abolish the waiver for small renewable energy generators, including combined heat and power units used by businesses, mainly small businesses, whereby they can run and heat their own operations and anything additional can be connected to the national grid. The CER is increasing the charge for small businesses to tap into the grid, which is contrary to the White Paper on Energy. This approach shows the contradictions in Government. One arm of the State is trying to promote something while the other arm is trying to strangle it.

The same applies with regard to the issue of the use of wood-chip in our power stations. The Minister in the document published today states: "Biomass to contribute up to 30% of energy input at peat stations by 2015". With regard to the stations at Shannonbridge and Lanesborough, how is the ESB supposed to break out of the contracts it has already signed with Bord na Móna? Has anyone considered this question? It seems never to have arisen in any discussion on this issue to date. An ideal opportunity has arisen with two new sites being made available in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge through an agreement with the CER. That is welcome; at least the energy regulator is taking some initiative on the issue. Unless we address the legislation with regard to the public service obligation, PSO, which currently has an in-built distortional system in place that promotes peat over other renewable energy sources, these other sources will never be used. It is critical that decisive action is taken on the matter.

The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, issued proposals recently. It is all very well for him, living as he does in County Meath, to have no difficulty with refuse being brought to Shannonbridge and Lanesborough to be burned. He is not happy to have an incinerator in his area, while the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is not happy to have one in Dublin. However, to dump one on people living in the midlands and pay the ESB to burn refuse there is completely unacceptable and will not ensure we encourage a renewable energy sector.

It is difficult for the Government to realise it, but there is another reason we should promote renewable energy sources, namely, the need for security of supply. This need has gone out the window as far as the Government is concerned. The majority of excise reliefs are for the production of biofuel outside the jurisdiction, which conflicts with and stalls the development of such an industry here. We brought legislation before the House recently to provide for the compulsory blending of biofuels for the transport sector, but the Government blocked its introduction. That legislation would have created an industry and demand for renewable energy supplies and biofuels here. However, the Government was not happy to accept the proposal because it had come from the Opposition.

The Government has been ten years in office, but is only now beginning to look at development of this area and getting bright ideas on it. I disagree with Deputy Durkan on from where those ideas are coming; they have nothing to do with light bulbs. The only reason the Government has got these bright ideas is recent opinion polls show the Green Party is making ground and Fianna Fáil wants to jump on the bandwagon.

I am glad to see the Government has adopted our proposal for the reform of vehicle registration tax, VRT. Why is it, when it had ten years to do this, that it is only on the eve of the general election that it has decided to do this? It would not entertain the idea until now and it was only when Fine Gael came up with the proposal that it decided to think about doing something on the issue. I commend the motion to the House.

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