Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)

I wish to share my time with Senator Doherty. I support the amendment put down by my colleagues. It is somewhat rich of the Government side to laud itself for putting down this motion when one considers that it has been in office for six months and this committee is only now up and running.

There is a great deal we can do in this area. I have a few questions which the Minister might consider. One relates to the grants for renewables. At present, there is no grant for domestic wind turbines. These should be made available. The grant for solar powered and heat exchange systems only covers the insulation costs. The Minister should examine the grant system because many people would be willing to change. As many Senators said, they will have to change. I believe they are willing to do so but the Government can make it happen faster with a small initiative. A large outlay is required to change to wind turbines or solar power systems for household energy so people will require assistance. I hope the Minister will consider upgrading the grant system.

Senator Brady spoke about education. We can do a great deal in this regard. People often leave lights on outside their houses and, in many cases, those lights are hazards. Motorists on rural roads who see the lights often think it is an oncoming car. There could be more education on such issues. Some time ago the former leader of Fine Gael in the Seanad, Deputy Brian Hayes, put down a motion on the building regulations and the use of hollow blocks in buildings in Dublin. Is this covered in the new building regulations being put forward by the Green Party? I hope so. The Government should act on this matter immediately.

With regard to bio-fuels, a number of licences were allocated in the last year or two. However, in some cases people are already up and running in the production of bio-fuels but they are not licensed, and are unable to get a licence. By contrast, some licence holders and running for the next two years, which is a disgrace. The Minister should revisit this matter with a view to giving licences to the people whose production is up and running. It is codology that people who are already producing bio-fuels are not able to get a licence, while those who are due to put their systems in place in two years have the licences tied up. I ask the Minister re-examine this.