Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government commits that within the lifetime of the Government we will solve the air pollution problem, which is a particular problem for many towns in the midlands, by moving away from the use of all smoky products that add to the air quality problem, especially imported products. That is a commitment.

Bord na Móna's new strategic plan that came out in response to the crisis that is facing the company needs to be more ambitious again, particularly when it comes to employment generation.

I believe there is a real opportunity for the company, not just in the area I mentioned of managing bogs, to restore biodiversity and store carbon but also in the using of the company's logistics and energy skills. For example, the retrofit programme we spoke about earlier is the perfect sort of project for Bord na Móna to develop apprenticeships, employ younger people who will have a 30 or 40-year career in rolling out the scale of change we need to make. Similarly, in the development of renewable power, I believe the company has real potential in wind, solar and other power supply systems to develop an economic base for the midlands that is the best example of public enterprise, which is in the tradition of that company. It is through those sorts of initiatives where we can create jobs.

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