Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has fairly raised the issue of resources and the extent to which we can find and devote more resources to these projects. It is a fair point. Resources have been scarce all around Government for reasons that are well known in the House. Anyway, I believe matters have improved. We have a budget for the support programmes that I referred to in my reply. I am keen to see us having more resources in due course to devote to these kinds of project and I have taken a generous view when meeting representatives of communities who want to bring forward projects of this nature. In the course of the next period I believe more resources will be available, just as there will be more resources available across Government, to do the things we want to do.

The question of where these community projects fit into the broader policy mix is relevant. That is a job for the definitive energy policy statement that I intend to publish in September. We are in a process at the moment in that regard. Many of these issues and ideas were signalled in the Green Paper and we are bringing them forward. I have met many individuals and groups to discuss these matters. I welcome the Deputy's input, but in terms of the overall policy sweep, it is a matter for the White Paper, which I will publish in September.

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