Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

Has the Minister done everything he was supposed to have done in regard to offshore wind? I think it was last year he announced the tariff scheme for offshore. I welcomed it at the time and I thought the industry indicated that there was the possibility of an investment of €4 billion in offshore, but we have seen no developments. When I raised this matter with the industry at a committee meeting, the response was that the scheme had not actually been introduced by way of a statutory instrument. Perhaps the Minister will comment as I was surprised to hear that.

I am sure the Minister would congratulate, as I do, the tidal energy company that has successfully connected the Irish energy company that is successfully connecting to the British grid. Would he not consider it is something of an indictment that this is an Irish company, which has successfully innovated abroad and is getting contracts abroad, yet it is not happening in Ireland? Surely that is a disappointment.

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