Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is an entirely ideological position that is not a response to any of the demands we face, given that the Deputies had that position long before the demands appeared. They still have that position and will probably continue to have it in the years to come.

Deputy Harty made a thoughtful intervention in indicating where there are true opportunities. There is no doubt we have ten times the area offshore that we have of land capacity and there is a genuine opportunity for us to deliver in that sector, as is called out in the climate plan. We recognise we have to change legislative provisions and have outlined timelines for the changes to try to open the opportunity. In time, albeit probably not in the first auction, we will have to consider the requirement to have a dedicated pot for offshore wind energy to get the industry moving. The Deputy also recognised the important role of microgeneration, which is very important because it allows communities to become more self-sustaining and is a practical way of engaging people.

I apologise that I do not have time to address the other contributions.

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