Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

The Government will be supportive, despite the difficult decisions that must be made.

Deputy McManus referred to the period relating to planning permissions running out. We accept that this is an issue and that is why the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government wrote to county managers to discover whether they could assess the projects that have been built. He also sought to discover whether the definition of "progressed works" could be reconsidered in order that some leeway could be provided in respect of those projects which have been unnecessarily delayed — not through the fault of those responsible for them but rather as a result of the difficulties that exist in respect of the grid — in order that they might proceed despite the fact that their planning permissions are running out. The county managers with whom I have been in communication — I spoke directly to the county manager in Mayo — in respect of this matter are extremely supportive because they recognise that building the grid will not only allow for the generation of energy but will also ensure the infrastructure required to allow them to attract other direct investment and ensure that jobs are retained will be put in place.

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