Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Section 10A of the Electricity (Regulation) Act 1999 provides that I, as Minister, may give general policy directives from time to time, but I am expressly precluded from giving any policy direction in respect of any individual undertaking or person. It is therefore not open to me to do that.

I do not want to take from the broader point, however. The Deputy said that people should always be rewarded for doing the right thing, which is fair. In our energy policy we must try to involve citizens who want to do the right thing and contribute. I want to ensure that in the White Paper this year we have got a real sense of involving the citizen, whether as a consumer or a supplier, where the opportunity is there for us to put those supports in place. It is not without difficulty and there is a scale issue, as I discussed with Deputy Pringle earlier. However, we must take big, bold steps in order to reach our targets but we must also ensure that we bring citizens with us. We should do our best to support those who wish to make a contribution. It will feature in the White Paper.

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