Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Ireland remains critically dependent on imported fossil fuels, particularly oil and natural gas. This dependency underlines the immediate and long-term imperatives of enhancing energy security, reducing price volatility and ensuring energy sustainability. National energy policy objectives are in line with overall EU policy objectives and are informed by the critical work of the International Energy Agency on all aspects of energy supply.

The Government is fully committed to delivering national energy efficiency and renewable energy objectives that are aimed at moving the economy away from reliance on imported carbon-intensive fossil fuels. The adoption of an oil depletion protocol is not required as a further statement of intent on this commitment, which is underpinned by the programme for Government.

The electrification of transport offers considerable potential for Ireland, not just in terms of energy efficiency but because of the ability to use cheaper grid-sourced electricity, an increasing amount of which will be sourced from renewable resources as we progressively deliver on our ambitious target of 40% renewable energy generation by 2020.

The bio-fuels obligation scheme incentivises and enables the sustainable growth of an Irish bio-fuels market affording opportunities for indigenous bio-fuel producers and allowing for the displacement of traditional oil products in the transport sector. During the first obligation period - the last six months of 2010 - the bio-fuels obligation scheme was responsible for bringing a total volume of 98.5 million litres of bio-fuels on to the Irish market, which is equivalent to more than 4.25% of the transport fuel market in the State.

The Better Energy scheme provides Exchequer-supported incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades, brings 25 energy suppliers on board as partners to offer upgrade services directly to consumers and supports energy-efficiency upgrades in low-income private housing. Delivery on these commitments will progressively reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels.

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