Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely.

Needless to say, this Bill is very technical. I will not comment on the technicalities other than to echo Deputy Thomas Byrne’s point that the proposed name of the regulator is not the most user-friendly. If we are to do something for the consumer, perhaps we should consider a better one.

When I read the Bill, I was struck by the concept of the Galway-Mayo communications duct. It then struck me straight away that Athenry is 1 km from where the ducting is occurring. It has been waiting for some time to gain access to it. Access to Athenry opens up a completely new world involving reduced costs for schools and business development. The railway goes right through the area, and there would be benefits at domestic level. Most of the houses that were built during the boom were kitted out with gas so they are ready to go. If the Minister could consider this matter at some point, the people of Athenry and the surrounding areas would really appreciate it.

I saw the rest of the Minister’s brief. With regard to energy, some 2% of the grid output is from Ardnacrusha. Since we have floodwater from the Shannon in the middle of winter, from 9 December, and the grid gains by only 2%, is there any way in which we can support the ESB, by means of legislation or a directive, in dropping the level of the Shannon a little earlier to help deal with the flooding issues?

Flooding on the River Shannon has caused hardship for families and businesses and prevented infrastructure from operating for many months. I know of homes in Roscommon in the Minister's constituency which are still flooded. The impact is still being felt on the Shannon Callows, in Meelick and Portumna. The ESB should be allowed to lower the level of the River Shannon in September each year. This preventative measure would not affect people in Parteen or elsewhere and would alleviate the current crisis until the works being done by the Office of Public Works are completed and the recommendations of the CFRAMS study implemented. It would also have significant benefits from an energy point of view and in terms of local authority manpower and the use of the emergency services. Furthermore, people would no longer worry about the possibility of waking up at night with 12 in. of water in their homes.

This is a good Bill. Any measure that supports consumers, for whom we advocate, and helps them to reduce costs is good. I wish the Minister well.

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