Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the end of my initial answer I made the point that awareness and support were also encouraged through updates to the interdepartmental committee on human rights, which is chaired by my colleague the Minster of State with responsibility for the diaspora and international development, Deputy Ciarán Cannon. All Departments with responsibility for State bodies are represented on the committee, the next meeting of which will take place later this month.

In relation to the ESB, I was not aware of what the Deputy referred to. I have been to the Moneypoint power plant a number of times. Clearly, a lot of coal is imported. However, the Government has committed to ending the use of coal as a source of power generation by the mid-2020s. I am happy to say we will see a move away from a reliance on imported coal. However, it cannot happen overnight without a significant disruption to power supplies. It needs to be planned for and phased in over time. I am not familiar with the sourcing contracts and with whom they are with, as that is a matter for ESB senior management. I can, however, certainly raise the question.

See this speech in context