John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Bill and the Minister's intention to expand the borrowing limits. Bord Gáis Éireann was established in 1976 with a mandate to develop and maintain a system for the supply of natural gas nationally. The original borrowing limit in 1976 was €25 million. Since then the company has provided a vital role in the growth of the Irish economy through the development of the gas network, which comprises almost 12,500 km of pipeline and serves more than 600,000 customers. Eighteen counties in the Republic and four in Northern Ireland are now connected to the natural gas network. Bord Gáis has an ambitious capital investment programme amounting to €2 billion over the next five years and it has a view to becoming a competitive dual fuel supplier in the Irish market.

The Government's energy policy framework document covering the period to 2020, Delivering a Sustainable Energy Future for Ireland, supports the sustainable development of the State energy companies. Competition and environmental sustainability are key pillars of that policy and Bord Gáis will continue to meet its emergency response standards and pipeline safety standards.

In recent years, Bord Gáis has entered the retail electricity market. While its present customer base is mainly in the industrial-commercial sector, I welcome the fact that it intends to enter the domestic retail market in 2009. This will obviously provide welcome competition in this sector. Owing to its retail gas business, Bord Gáis already has the necessary customer service and billing systems in place to support a domestic electricity retail service.

The development of the gas network over the coming five years will include adding 1,500 km of pipeline to the network, the connection of 150 new customers, the replacement of the remaining cast-iron network with polythene pipes and investment in new systems and technology to provide the customer with a better service.

This brings me to my point on my county and that of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, which we have been representing for some years. It is in respect of Wexford that I criticise Bord Gáis and different Ministers severely. Sometimes I wonder whether Ministers realise Wexford in the sunny south east is actually part of Ireland.

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