Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 2: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will put in place a programme of cross-Border training and accreditation system for installers of renewable energy technologies; the current level of interaction between Action Renewables in Northern Ireland and Sustainable Energy Ireland; the timeframe for development of cross-Border involvement on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28950/07]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Renewable Energy Installers Academy is a joint initiative between Sustainable Energy Ireland and Action Renewables in Northern Ireland. Since late 2005, the two agencies have developed and delivered a cross-Border programme of renewable energy installer training. The programme was granted funding assistance under the INTERREG IIIA programme. It has been developed to address the dearth of trained installers and designers which was identified as a critical barrier to the sustained development of a renewable energy technology market.

The overall objective of the initiative is to provide training, accreditation, quality inspection and registration for installers of renewable technologies. This will underpin the development of the market for renewable energy technologies on an all-island basis. To date, the academy has been responsible for the development and specification of installer training courses in each of the main heating technologies — biomass, solar and heat pumps. The academy contracted European expertise to provide advice to the project in developing and delivering the training laboratories and training materials.

The first phase of the project involved a partnership with education centres within the INTERREG region to deliver training to installers and designers. The academy has also set down minimum standards for training providers in terms of facilities, materials and staff qualifications for delivery of approved training.

Following the success of phase one, the academy's accredited training programme is currently being rolled out beyond the INTERREG region. The national training agency, FÁS, is now offering training courses in all of the renewable heating technologies. Two fully equipped training laboratories, to the academy's specification and standard, have been developed as a joint initiative of SEI and FÁS. The Dublin training facility is now fully operational and a facility in Cork will be providing training by the end of this month.

Training materials and laboratory specifications will shortly be made available to all accredited training providers equipped with training facilities which meet the REIA standards.

Sustainable Energy Ireland and Action Renewables continue to work closely together on this important cross-Border project which has already paid dividends North and South. They have already undertaken joint cross-Border industry consultation with a view to further developing the academy model. The sustained expansion of the numbers of fully trained renewable technology installers is a key component of the quality assurance and customer service standards of the greener homes scheme.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I want to ask two questions. The Minister is aware that my priority question is not the one on today's Order Paper. Yesterday, at 4.21 p.m., I received confirmation from his Secretary General that a different question would be accepted as a priority question today. Afterwards, the Minister told me that was not possible. I checked and found that the General Office, which processes questions in the House, could have processed the question at any time yesterday evening. Having received confirmation in writing from the Secretary General that a question on carbon emissions would be accepted, I am concerned by the misleading blame placed on the General Office. Will the Minister explain why I was misled?

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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This matter will be addressed in the Ceann Comhairle's office.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I have written to the Ceann Comhairle, but I want to give the Minister an opportunity to reply. It is a bewildering matter.

Is the Minister aware of an accreditation problem? No progress has been made to have common accreditation North and South. Civil servants carried out a significant cross-Border study of the blockage, which is on the Republic's side, in agreeing accreditation. What will the Minister do to remove the blockage?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I will happily clarify some of the issues that arose yesterday in terms of which priority question would be tabled.

Late yesterday afternoon, I discovered that a question the Deputy had tabled in which she asked three sub-questions on transport emissions, motor tax and the climate change implications, if I am paraphrasing it correctly, had been transferred to the Departments of Transport and the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. She contacted me about her concerns that the question would have been better taken by my Department and I told her that I would do what I could to facilitate her. I contacted my Secretary General and, following discussions, we agreed to have the question passed after removing its motor tax aspect. I asked my Secretary General to contact Deputy McManus in that regard. My office——

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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That is not what the Secretary General told me.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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We must continue with the questions.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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The Minister is misleading the House.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy should take the matter up with the Ceann Comhairle's office.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I am not intentionally misleading anyone.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I am sure the Minister is not.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I tried to facilitate the Deputy yesterday as I am doing today. The questions were transferred. As the wording had not been changed to relate to energy issues and still related to emissions, it was not in order for me to take the question. The question is for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The transfer of questions is a matter for the Departments. We cannot discuss it.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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In circumstances where I was told that the Order Paper had been completed, I agreed with my office that Deputy McManus should be asked to——

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister should answer the question so that we can proceed.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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——submit the question in a reworded form.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I must set the record straight. The Minister does not mean to mislead the House, but the e-mail I received from the Secretary General when I presented my new wording contained only one line to the effect that, having spoken to the Minister, the question would be answered as a priority question.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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We cannot continue. This is Question Time, but the matter is——

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I appreciate that it is Question Time, but I would like to be able to ask appropriate questions.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister should not be accused of misleading the House.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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The Minister is not deliberately misleading the House, but I have been misled.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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It was not the Minister. He should answer the question he was asked because we must proceed.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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It should concern the Minister that this is not good enough. He would be concerned had it occurred to him when he was in opposition.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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We will not resolve this issue on the floor of the House.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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My Department and I tried to facilitate the question. Unfortunately, the wording of the question as resubmitted was not eligible to be taken.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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It was accepted by the Minister.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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We must move on to No. 3 because our time has elapsed.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I did everything to facilitate the Deputy, but the question was due to be answered by a colleague.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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This is rubbish.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I would happily accept a reworded question.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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The Minister accepted it. It is not right for a Minister to continue in this way.

Johnny Brady (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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It is a matter for another Minister.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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The Secretary General of the Department, having spoken to the Minister, accepted the question I submitted. I will not accept this or any other Minister persisting in saying things that are inaccurate.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I must explain. While Deputy McManus's comments are true, my office pointed out that the question could not be taken because it referred to certain Ministries.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Why did the office tell me the question could be taken?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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I accepted the office's explanation and asked it to maintain the agreement to set this question as a priority question.

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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I wonder who is in control of the Department.