Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I particularly welcome his commitment in acknowledging the four issues I have raised that are pertinent specifically to the workforce and their asks and expectations regarding the negotiations as well as the commitment to bring that to bear on the line Minister, who I am sure will in turn will talk to the CEO and management with a view to re-establishing the good faith and goodwill that can help with the wider issues I mentioned.

When Bord na Móna was set up in the 1940s, much of the land was provided not only by compulsory purchase, as might have been the case in some instances, but by many landowners giving their land freely to realise an ambition they never thought would come to fruition, namely, that a livelihood could be derived from such lands. A stable diet of income, investment and advancement took place as a result of that contribution to the county and region thereafter. Now it is time for that to reciprocated, notwithstanding the ongoing work of the board on alternative energy projects and the rewetting programme in which it is engaged. There is an expectation that the board will adhere to the purpose for which those funds were given.

I have had negotiations and discussions not only with the board and the Government but also with the affected communities and their representatives who are interested in exploring the option of the board providing land, whether by donation or nominal lease, to the community to allow a community energy project that has the potential to yield a benefit of up to €9 million per annum. This in turn could be administered by the local authority and allow it to be in a position to compensate for the loss of €4 million or €5 million in rates income in the county as a result of the closures we have seen in recent years and to act on many of the development initiatives and proposals in development plans that could not otherwise be done. I saw a project in my constituency where the result was an investment that was made and administered by the local authority involving robotics for children in primary school. A school close to my home town of Tober won the county championship, went on to win a competition involving schools throughout the country and is now competing at world level in Texas next week. That is an investment that could yield opportunities that were never available before through investment in STEM subjects and engineering expertise, which can benefit the locality.

I beg the Acting Chairman's indulgence. I have been waiting since last Thursday to discuss this matter and have been given three or four minutes to do so. The discussion was then delayed by an hour. With the Acting Chairman's indulgence - at this late hour, I do not think it will affect too many people who are waiting to speak after me - I finally want to address the SEAI programme of investment for those households that cannot afford a bespoke opportunity available to some to provide €30,000 on top of the €30,000 grant. We were successful in getting 90% for investment in insulation grants but it is time to move beyond that to windows and doors to allow for-----

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