Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I congratulate my colleague, Deputy Coveney, on tabling the motion. I will touch on some of the issues Deputies have addressed and raise several others in the short time available to me.

Jobs, productivity and competition are the key points raised at national and international level in the context of energy. Energy prices are not as low as they should be. Forfás published a report around Christmas which examined the costs of goods and doing business. It found that energy costs are cheaper in the North and the United Kingdom than in the South. As a Deputy from a Border county, it is clear to me that we must do more to drive down prices and become competitive. Those of us who live in Border counties, including County Louth and towns such as Drogheda and Dundalk, are fearful owing to the number of shops that are closing. One sees "For Sale", "For Lease" and "For Rent" signs all along the Border. One of the reasons for this trend, albeit not the only one, is that businesses cannot compete and we are not doing enough to make them more competitive.

We cannot continue to live as we have done. We must change our ways and address the issue of energy conservation, in other words, using less energy and using it more wisely. This should be done on a local and regional basis. A climate change committee established in counties Limerick and Clare has brought together representatives of local authorities and other groups to plan energy use for the region. Co-operation among counties is constructive development and we must do more to develop plans to reduce energy consumption in an efficient and effective manner.

The energy officers appointed in a number of county councils should be given a more useful role. While the Power of One campaign gives advice to members of the public, we are not focusing sufficiently on households, schools, hospitals and industry. We must examine how energy is and can be used more wisely and effectively to reduce costs and to achieve a better return. The Minister should address this issue. Many people would be pleased to assist and advise him but he must adopt a constructive and focused approach to addressing this issue. The message must be driven home in local authorities through one-stop-shops and the provision of a 1890 number to inform people how they can reduce their costs. Advice on reducing energy consumption must be available to industry on site.

We must also insist that all new appliances feature the latest technology. Washing machines, for example, should not have a stand-by function and should be activated only by users. We must think and act smartly.

It is astonishing that the Government, which allegedly has a green component, is cutting back on public transport by reducing funding to Dublin Bus. At a time when we want to increase the number of people using buses in the capital the Government is cutting 270 jobs and reducing the number of bus routes. It has failed to open up competition in the bus market with a view to increasing rather then decreasing the number of buses on the roads. It must open up the market to private bus operators to allow them to price route and supply more public transport cheaply and effectively. The Government is asleep in that regard. I understand Bus Éireann drivers are protesting outside the Minister's office this week.

According to a Time magazine analysis published a couple of years ago, Nantes in France is one of the best places to live in Europe. The reason is that the city has an integrated public transport system featuring buses, trams and even boats on the river. I visited the city and saw its fantastic public transport network. A target of halving the number of cars entering the city was achieved by closing down road space while at the same providing adequate, efficient and effective public transport alternatives. This is the way of the future. We must reduce energy consumption, secure greater efficiency, improve our cost basis and enhance public transport.

See this speech in context