Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

What does the Minister expect will be the impact of the Government's proposals in regard to the use of bio-fuels and does he consider, in the context of UN and other reports, the movement to bio-fuels, in many cases, is resulting in hoarding and huge price rises for commodities such as wheat and other foodstuffs? Is the Minister satisfied that Government policy in this area continues to be the best policy in light of what we now know about the impact of bio-fuels on commodity prices for food and on some of the poorest people on the earth? What does the Minister propose in regard to the percentage of bio-fuels that he envisages being included in this mix?

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