Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I am concerned that the Minister has moved away from the essence of the question. I am not trying to make my point in an adversarial way and will give a practical example. If I have a piece of land on which it is suitable to develop a wind farm, which has reasonable proximity to the grid, good wind speeds and is on the coast and not in an area of scenic beauty, I have no chance of getting a connection under the gate 3 process. Somebody who has a really poor site for a wind farm but who has been waiting for seven or eight years, which I accept is very frustrating, will be connected before me despite the fact that it would be far more beneficial in the national interest for the farm which makes more commercial sense to be connected. That is the weakness of the gate 3 process. Will the Minister address this specific issue so we can examine the most strategic places in the country to develop wind turbine technology rather than connecting people based on the length of time they have been waiting?

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