Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct in her observation about our reliance on fossil fuels and the statistics back up that observation. We import coal from Poland. We import coal on ships from Colombia. That is the reality of the world we live in.

With the price of oil being so low at present, the consumer-led consumption of that product from an economic point of view is great in that it is cheaper for consumers, but at the same time we still must keep the focus on renewables. That is why we must be as proactive as ever, through the university sector, in the progression of offshore wind, hydro and tidal wave. While that research and development is going on within the universities and they work closely with industry, we must up the ante. I note one particular submission to the White Paper is looking at floating turbines off the west coast. We must be ambitious.

A big focus of this House over the past four and half years has been on the economy and trying to get us out of the mess we were in. We must look at new technologies, how quickly technology is changing, and be ambitious and creative around that engagement between the university sector and industry. Government must support that in whatever way possible.

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