Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This reply is unusually helpful. We normally get two or three pages that never address the issue until the last three lines. I thank the Minister of State for that and for the effort that has been put into giving a meaningful answer. I think he would agree it would a reasonable supposition that whatever guidelines are brought in on land in terms of height versus setback would apply on near inshore and offshore turbines. I will table a Topical Issue matter - I might get lucky again in the Topical Issue lottery - to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and give him an opportunity to come in to explain his side of the story. I presume that if we decide that on land it has to be a certain distance from a house relative to the height, that will also apply to houses that are on the land where the turbines are in the sea. The Minister of State would agree that anything else would be irrational.

I obviously welcome that the issue of noise is being addressed, which would also apply in the sea. In fact, noise would probably travel better over the sea than over land. It is good that shadow flicker, community obligation, community dividend and grid connections will all be in the guidelines. Can the Minister answer the $64,000 question? This is going to have a huge effect on the marine guidelines too because for the near inshore ones, they will be fairly similar. Can the Minister of State tell me when they are likely to be published? He should not tell me it will be very soon or in due course or after a proper process because it was 2006.

Look at the changes in the world between 2006 and 2024. I need to get a real clear indication of when these will be. I will certainly be pursuing the Minister of State's colleague and party leader to ensure that the guidelines on these issues relating to marine or offshore turbines would also be published at the same time. If people think it is public consultation to have bad guidelines and laws that do not really take them into account, but with plenty of consultation about it, it will be game over before they start, and I think they misunderstand ordinary people.

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