Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

For quite some time Fine Gael has set out its view on support for a carbon tax. The beauty of contrast is that this party produced its budget perspective last Friday, which included use of revenue from a carbon tax to provide incentives and opportunities for employers to create employment and to hold on to existing jobs by the reduction of PRSI at the 20% and 50% levels.

Fine Gael's budget perspective set out to put a fair price on dirty fuels to support domestic renewable energy sources and jobs. Deputy Coveney put forward Fine Gael's proposal for an economic recovery authority dealing with an €18 billion jobs stimulus, part of which would be made up of revenue from carbon tax. There would be a two year exemption on solid fuels, that is, coal and turf, because they are used by elderly people and on agricultural diesel for farmers. It is remiss of the Government not to understand there has been a 28% drop in farmers' incomes this year. It has been an absolute disaster and it follows an 11% drop in incomes last year. The exemption from carbon tax on agricultural diesel is an important matter in an industry that has literally been washed away in some parts of the country this year. It also included use of a windfall tax on power generators.

The Fine Gael proposal was to use revenue from the carbon tax in a revenue-neutral sense to protect jobs, create new jobs and make it easier for employers to take on employees. The budget, about which I will speak tomorrow, does not deal with that to any great extent.

I support the principle of retrofit for houses. One should examine the time and cost structure of the way it is done with Sustainable Energy Ireland. Applications forms are filled in, processed, analysed and eventually payment is made. The problem is people will not want to borrow €25,000 or €30,000 in order to do that insulation work. Unless people are burning three or four tanks of heating oil per year, it will not be worth their while to do this. In other countries, this work is done by companies at no charge to the occupant of the house. The value for the company doing the work is in keeping the saving in the energy costs as a consequence. The Minister will be aware this is a very successful scheme in a number of countries. We should consider that.

We support the principle of a carbon tax and have said so for a long time but we do not support the way in which the Government is going about it. I do not support the fact solid fuel has not been exempted. The Minister, Deputy Gormley, can shake his head if he wishes.

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