Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his supplementary question. This is an important issue and one in which I have taken a direct interest. The Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, and I have done a great deal of work on the matter. It is a technical area. I can assure the Deputy that virtually all of the work has been completed. Further work on the setback distance from a technical point of view remains to be completed. Once that work has been completed the guidelines, if supported by my Government colleagues in Fine Gael, will be published. They will be brought forward as quickly as possible within that framework.

We must be cognisant of the fact that I am the Minister with responsibility for planning. Through that process, I will issue guidelines that are best for planning. There are other Departments who have an interest in this issue for other reasons, including from an energy point of view in the context of our 2020 targets.

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