Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I am sure many Deputies, particularly those representing the constituencies of the west, are deeply concerned about the apparent failure of Apple to proceed with a data centre in Athenry, as was originally planned two or three years ago. It was held up in the planning system. I add a particular concern to the debate and put a case to the Minister. There were difficulties in the planning system, which was unfortunate, but people have their rights and we would not interfere with them. The Government has also been caught out with a complete lack of vision or support for the shift to a renewable future, and Apple can see that. It is not by coincidence it has gone to Denmark, a country committing to 50% wind power by 2020 and 84% wind power by 2035. This can be compared with Ireland, which will not meet its target of 40% of electricity coming from renewables by 2020: we will not meet any of our targets and we will probably be the worst performer in terms of emissions reductions in Europe. Effectively, we cannot build anything in this country now as we have lost the public, and part of the reason is a lack of political leadership, as the Citizens' Assembly indicated last weekend.

The matter is ongoing. I read a recent submission from the Irish Government on work for new directives in the European Council relating to renewable power. It is hard to believe but our Government submitted an amendment to the effect that we should not be thinking long-term or be ambitious in setting 2050 targets and decarbonising power systems. I am sorry but when we keep doing that and shooting ourselves in the foot, we portray ourselves as old, out of date, backward and not green. It indicates we do not want to be part of a new digital modern economy and it eventually comes home to roost in the likes of the decision we are discussing. Apple understands and sees it. It knows it can build in Denmark, which wants a renewable future. Why would the company work with a Government which does not want such a future or do anything about it except paying lip service? That is one of the stories behind this Apple decision. The Government has been exposed on a problem of a lack of commitment to this transition we must make.

This is a real problem for the west of Ireland when it means this flagship project will not go ahead. My God, it says something. It comes on the back of us already saying we will not build out the grid to the west of Ireland as it is a politically difficult decision. I know it is tough but that has consequences. Sometimes we must stand up to the public and be honest. We know nobody wants to build out the grid and it is not easy but if we pull back, as we have done, there will be consequences for Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo and Donegal. Dublin is packed with data centres and we have no problem getting them because we have a grid and other infrastructure. If we do not provide the underlying infrastructure, the west will not develop and that is what happened because Fine Gael was asleep on watch. It stood back from the responsibility to provide infrastructure that would have allowed fibre cables and grid connections that allow modern industries to form.

What a loss that is and how will we turn it around? We can start with this Government looking to stand up for a green transition and being ambitious in terms of decarbonisation. That is not happening in any Department or with any Minister. Apple read that and understood it, just as the Citizens' Assembly did this weekend. They know there is no political leadership around decarbonisation. Why would Apple do its business here? It is now off to Denmark. That is the story of what happened in my mind.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Before replying to the substantive matter, I should say I do not understand the Deputy's statement that Apple has gone to Denmark. Ireland and Denmark were chosen at the same time and it just happened that planning in Denmark was approved more quickly than in Ireland. It is not a matter of Denmark being greener.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Apple will build a second data centre in Denmark.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy stated that he accepts the planning process. I recognise that the project in question would be a landmark investment for Galway and the west. The Deputy left County Clare out of his contribution but it is very important to Athenry, which is just up the road from the county. Most parts of County Clare are accessible from Athenry within 20 or 30 minutes, especially with the new motorway. It is important to us and it is why, as Minister of State with responsibility for data protection, I have taken a special interest in the project. It would have significant benefits for Athenry and the local area, as well as a real positive impact on the wider regional economy. That is why the Government remains very keen for the project to go ahead.

As we know, the Taoiseach visited the US last week and met senior management from Apple. He made it clear that the project has the full support of our Government and of the local community in Athenry. He also stressed that Ireland is a country that values and supports technological investment like that being proposed in this case. Members, including the Deputy, will recognise that this is ultimately a commercial decision for the company to make. We know such decisions can be informed by a range of different factors but we will continue to encourage Apple to proceed with the data centre project in Athenry.

More generally, the delays that have beset this project have served to underline the need to have an efficient and speedy planning process in place in this country.

It is incumbent on us to ensure that similar projects are not unreasonably delayed again in the future. The Government has already been taking steps to avoid a repeat of this situation. This may include the designation of data centres as strategic infrastructure developments for planning purposes. That would help ensure that future data centre-related planning applications can move swiftly through the planning process. Other measures to streamline the planning process may also be considered. I can talk to the Deputy about that later on.

I want to be absolutely clear that while the company has not committed to proceeding immediately, it has not abandoned the project in Galway. The company has instead said that its potential investment in Athenry remains under active consideration. Given the planning issues have now been resolved, we are certainly optimistic that the data centre will proceed in the future. I can assure the Deputy that the IDA is in active dialogue with the company from their two offices in northern and southern California. It is talking to Apple on a weekly basis. I spoke with the chief of the IDA, Mr. Martin Shanahan, this evening about the issue and he assured me that no stone is being left unturned to ensure that projects like this come to Ireland. There is a future for data in this country. I am travelling to California myself in the new year and I hope to assure Apple of Ireland's importance as a centre for data centres.

Data centres remain an important aspect of Ireland's foreign direct investment offering. The strengths we have to offer for this type of project include our climate, which the Deputy referred to, our energy supply, our business environment and our educated workforce. These are well known and are committed for other investors as well. We are a digital leader in northern Europe. Many leading companies have announced significant data centre investments here, and the IDA continues to work day-in and day-out to secure further such projects for the country. The year 2016 was a record year for FDI in Ireland, both in terms of the number of jobs created and investments won. We are on track for more strong results for 2017 and this shows we are continuing to attract capital-rich foreign direct investment projects to Ireland and we will continue to do so. Data centres are extremely important for us, and will continue to be important.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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One of the reasons we seem to have lost this project - I hope we have not lost it but all the signs suggest we have - is that a 100% renewable power supply was required. The Minister of State cannot say that we are good in terms of meeting a zero-carbon energy demand. We are just not doing it. Denmark is doing it and that is why it is winning investment for data centres. Perhaps on the first plant it could be said that the countries were in a race and Ireland lost out because of planning. However, Denmark also got the second plant, worth €950 million, ahead of Ireland.

I believe that one of the reasons for that is that Denmark can guarantee a 100% renewable power supply because it is committed to that idea. The Government here is not. Denmark is using animal waste in really sophisticated ways. For example, it uses methane to power the plant. Heat from the plant is used for district heating. There is clever balancing of energy systems. None of that is happening in this country. It is not because Ireland cannot do it or because the technology is not transferable, but because there is zero political leadership here in terms of renewable energy. The digital revolution and clean energy revolution go together. Fine Gael did not believe that. The public administration system here does not believe it. Irish representatives are in Brussels this week fighting against ambitious renewables targets. That is the reality of what Ireland is doing. We cannot then expect Apple, which is not stupid and which can read the same files that I can read, not to believe that Ireland is a regressive country in its arguments with the European Union. That has a consequence in terms of investment decisions like this, involving 100% renewable energy systems. It is one of the reasons that investment is not happening here. Apple can read what the Citizen's Assembly read this week, that Ireland does not do 100% renewable power.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is completely missing the point. When Apple proposed this project it was quite clear to it that there was ample energy for its needs in the area. That is why it went ahead with the process. The problem is the planning process here and the Deputy failed to mention that. In fact, the Deputy acknowledged the planning process at the start of his question. We want to provide certainty in the future for new data centres in Ireland. I attended a number of data centre conferences in recent times and the interest here is phenomenal. Ireland is becoming an attractive location for data centres. I have outlined the reasons why this is the case - our climate, our education and our environment. We are also a digital leader in Europe. We can compete with any other country in northern Europe for these centres. Data is extremely important to digital. It is the gold of the future.

The delays were caused by planning. The planning process is cumbersome and lengthy and involves court processes. The Government wants to change that. That is why the Taoiseach has proposed fast-tracking these projects, because there is a lot of interest in them. Balanced regional development is very important to us. The Deputy himself said that Dublin is full of data centres. We want to attract data centres to different parts of the country, not just to the greater Dublin area. We are speeding up the process to ensure that we have strategic infrastructure for the country in the future. Data centres are the oil of the future. Currently there is a two step planning process, involving the local authority and An Bord Pleanála. We want to investigate the possibility of having a one step process and have more pre-planning consultancy. That would be important and would get that message across to other data centres out there.

It is important to repeat that Apple has not abandoned this project. It is part of its future and people such as the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Cannon, are very much part of this as well and are supportive of this project. I support this project; I am from County Clare, just over the border from Galway. The Deputy is missing the point. The problem here is the planning process; it has nothing to do with renewable energy.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Both Deputies have had their time.