Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The more it is ventilated, the better. He is absolutely right that several colleagues in the House have been in touch with me about this issue, perhaps in some cases prompted by some of the more garish headlines the issue attracts. I entirely accept that communities have some concerns. Deputy Penrose has been with me on a number of occasions in recent months in particular to discuss the issue, following which he drafted a Private Members' Bill. I met a number of Senators, including Senator Kelly, on the same issue. The more we examine this, the harder I find it to see how we could enshrine in primary legislation the kinds of precise planning requirements Deputy Troy advocates. The expert advice available to me is that it is virtually impossible to exploit what is an indigenous renewable resource in this country to generate energy and perhaps to help us create a significant export sector if we were to enshrine planning obligations in primary legislation.

Therefore, arising from the discussions within my party, with Deputy Penrose in particular but also with Senator Kelly, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, engaged in the public consultation to elicit public response as to how the guidelines put in place in 2006 might be finessed or improved as appropriate. She has had a significant response to that public consultation and is teasing through it at the moment. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, which comes under the auspices of my Department, is carrying out a study on other aspects to which the Deputy has just referred. The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, will take that into account when she reaches decision stage on the issue.

I do not know, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, whether it is permissible that the script I have here might be read into the record. In any event I would be happy to make it available to the Deputy. It sets out the progress that has been made in recent years where 1,250 turbines on 150 wind farms across 22 counties have been a commissioned with a capacity of 1,738 MW. The Deputy is right in saying that our first obligation is to meet our mandatory targets. We are certainly intent on doing that and we believe we can do it. In any event it would not be possible to generate an export market in green energy unless we can ensure that we can meet our own targets - I believe we will meet those targets.

I have published a strategy on the area and have provided other guidance last year. The best practice wind energy guidelines published in 2006 are now being reviewed. Taken together with the Government policy statement on the strategic importance of transmission and other energy infrastructure, which I published in 2012, this emphasises the importance of public and local community acceptance; adherence to national and international standards in designing and constructing energy networks and infrastructure; early consultation and engagement with local communities; and building community gain considerations into energy infrastructure planning and budgeting. I deliberately put those principles onto the record of the House because it is important that they are adhered to. Consultation and engagement with local communities and building into the arrangements provision for community benefit are very important.

I would be concerned if local communities were provoked to overreaction and over-concern by some of the wilder reaches of rhetoric promoted by some. I do not mean elected representatives.

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