Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To move on from the last debate, food and energy security is the most important matter for any country. Yesterday evening, as the Minister is probably aware given he is the Minister over it, the EU diktat voted that gas and nuclear are basically going to be classed as green resources, which I do not have a problem with. The Minister is probably also aware of some of things going on in Europe such as in the Netherlands. The Minister is proposing to bring in climate targets on the agricultural sector whereas the Netherlands Government is actually closing down farms. Funnily enough, our own national media do not seem to be interested in it. They would rather show something in Australia or somewhere else than show farmers being kicked around the place.

The Minister is probably aware, particularly if he has been talking to fuel merchants, that coal is becoming scarce. There are only a couple of places from which we are importing coal. It is getting scarce and has more than doubled in price. Fuel merchants to whom I have talked estimate that a 40 kg bag of coal will cost €50 or more this winter. The Minister referred earlier to the price of oil coming down. He should consider why that happened. The American dollar has become strong and the euro has collapsed. That is why. The price of oil has come down by damn all in recent days. It was at $120 per barrel. In euros, a barrel of oil is now probably €105, €106 or €108. The reality is that it costs €1.60 per litre. A litre of white diesel costs €2.20. The Minister spoke about Europe and said the Government cannot do this, that or the other. Europe exports food. Is there an agenda in Europe to reduce food output in order that it will not be exported and the figures relating to the green agenda will stack up? Is Europe going to starve people in other parts of the world?

There is an application for a licence on the Minister's desk at the moment from a company in Mayo. There appears to be a large resource of gas there that would help this country. I understand the Department is sitting on that application. What is the Minister going to do to ensure that we have energy security? Whether we like it or not, we will need gas into the future.

The Minister is aware of the pressures - they were outlined earlier - that ordinary people face. The Minister mentioned that the fuel allowance has been increased and I admit that. However, the new poor are in middle Ireland. What is the Minister doing for the people through the fuel regulations he is bringing in at a time when those people are barely able to heat their homes? Where is he on the new fuel regulations? We need to know before the holidays are over.

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