Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

The Minister might clarify what he means by sustainably sourced because I am not sure that bio-fuels will play an increasingly important role in terms of transportation fuel across the European Union, and he knows this as well. There will be a role for bio-fuels in the future but many are not quite sure what that role is.

I am also surprised the Minister has not mentioned the Government's bio-fuels pilot projects currently being proposed. My understanding is that the Government has incentives in place to encourage a certain number of people who are part of that scheme to produce bio-fuels into the future. Is that not the case? Could the Minister give us the detail of those pilot projects?

The concern in the industry is that by taking the current approach where there are pilot projects on bio-fuel production over the next number of years to address the issues of feasibility, viability and sustainability, we kill the rest of the industry. While the Minister gives a certain small number of producers of bio-fuels preferential treatment to get them going on pilot project schemes, nobody else will invest in the industry.

See this speech in context