Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are very well progressed. We are putting the foundation stones in place. We will ensure that when the technology is available to us to maximise the offshore advantages, especially off our Atlantic coast, we will be in a position to maximise it. Our Department is investing considerably in the supply chains issue. We had an excellent event with the Scottish Government recently and our agreement is we will share with it, co-operate with it and look to its lessons. Scotland is equally looking to what we have achieved here with onshore wind. We have shown huge advances in that area. We will work collaboratively with them on onshore and offshore. I am very confident we will be able to harness this energy in a planned way. The establishment of MARA as the offshore planning agency is part of putting all the building blocks in place, putting the infrastructure in place and being focused on the skills and supply chains as well as the opportunities within those chains, especially for smaller companies based in the regions.

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