Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Well the Minister has seen the draft heads of the Bill before that. We want to see the actual Bill. While we were waiting for the Minister's Bill, we in Sinn Féin brought forward our own climate change Bill last year, without the resources available to the Minister. This would legislate for a 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020, and an 85% reduction by 2050. These are ambitious targets, and would require radical changes in the energy sector. The change involves a move away from the current dependence on imported fuel, but it would bring huge economic benefits because we would be saving on that. We believe that this should be done. We also believe that each local authority should have its own climate change action plan. We hope that will happen on the back of the Government's Bill. If we are to have reform of the local authorities, each local authority should play its part in combatting climate change locally.

Massive wind farms are being built in the midlands. We are going to export the electricity to them and we will help Scotland, Wales and particularly England to meet their renewable energy targets, while here in this State, including in the midlands, we will be importing very expensive coal and oil. A huge number of households in the midlands and in other rural areas in Ireland are dependent on such imported fossil fuels, which are very expensive. The Government has signed a memorandum of understanding with the British to export the energy before we meet our own energy needs. I do not have a problem with exporting energy to England, provided that our own needs are met first in respect of renewable energy. Why is that happening? It is absolutely ridiculous that it is happening, leaving us massively dependent on this imported fuel. Around 90% of all our energy needs is being met with expensive imported fossil fuel.

There are economic advantages and environmental advantages if we become a leader in developing alternative energy. A number of research centres around the country are at the cutting edge of developing alternative energy options, and not just wind, with which the current Government seems completely fixated. The Government needs to examine tidal energy, solar energy, hydropower and geothermal energy. There should be plenty of hydropower, given the amount of water that is in the country. The Minister should have a chat with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, because he seems to be completely fixated with wind. We will have wind turbines everywhere, but I would like the Government to look at other alternative energy sources. I would like the Minister to take that seriously, and it is also relevant for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

I welcome the extra €70 million. The Minister will need to look at it again after today's storm. The reports I am hearing is that it has wreaked havoc in three of four hours. I appeal to the Minister to examine the issue of the EU disaster fund. He must make the case.

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