Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no ideological resistance to what the Deputy has described. These companies, as the Deputy rightly said, are big users of renewable energy, and that certainly is to be welcomed. Their experience in this country has been good. I do not think what Deputy has said is correct, because it is very clear the planning delays were the issue relating to where we are at present. The delays that have beset the project underline the need to have an efficient and speedy planning process and associated legal process in place in this country. I and the Government certainly want to ensure that similar projects are not unreasonably delayed. The Department of the Taoiseach established a high-level working group earlier this year to examine the many cross-departmental policy issues associated with these projects. The Department is represented on this group, and we will bring the enterprise perspective and retail related analysis to the group to aid its discussion. The group will seek to develop a strategic national policy approach to the development of future projects in Ireland. It is examining among other issues the possible designations of areas suitable for the development of data centres and the identification and resolution of planning issues and infrastructural requirements related to such investment. This approach is the right one. It takes into account the issues about which the Deputy is concerned and which he raised today.

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