John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said in my opening statement, and as I know the Deputy knows, there are no regulations currently in place but on foot of the programme for Government we are in the process of developing those. It is important to say that they will involve a public consultation element which people will be able to feed into. It is also important to mention that the planning system as a whole is subject to significant reform at the moment, particularly in the context of the Planning and Development Act and the national planning framework. These processes will augment the existing system, including that of solar development.

That said, I understand the concerns the Deputy is raising. I am from Waterford, where we have had a significant number of solar developments. That is why, in the programme for Government, we are committed to introducing guidelines. It is important to say that looking to our targets and achieving 8 GW will require larger developments of solar energy and it will also require a significant ramp-up of microgeneration, which I know the Deputy cited in his opening remarks. It is not a case of either-or. It is a combination of both. We are committed to introducing guidelines. Significant reforms are under way in the context of the planning process. I will work with the Deputy and others in this House to make sure that we get them right and that we take on board the concerns of the public in the public participation that will be part of any development of the guidelines going forward.

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