Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for his thorough replies and genuine effort to address the issues raised. I was not entirely happy with his reply on energy prices. I would like him to tell the House that there will be action on energy prices this month. He mentioned double digit figures, as did the Minister in the Dáil. We should be talking about a 20% reduction. Let us be radical about this. Employment and many businesses depend on low energy prices as do old people who are in need and who are finding it difficult to live. It has been a particularly difficult and long winter and those old people need that reduction in energy prices.

It would be great if the Minister did something radical within the calendar month. I do not see why the regulator could not talk to the interested parties and the Minister within three days and implement the reduction by the weekend. If it will take the rest of this month, so be it but it should not go beyond the end of the month.

I acknowledge a point made by Senator Martin Brady who hails from the beautiful drumlin county from which I hail. He said that for generations, the traditional mills were powered by water, by the native streams and rivers of the area. There were flax and corn mills all along the streams. That was the case in Cavan and Monaghan and the traditional mills were very famous. There was one close to where I live in Bailieborough.

As Senator Martin Brady said, this water energy should again be harnessed and used to generate electricity for domestic supply at a minimum. Why not have surplus supply sold to the grid? We must become imaginative about this. I would like the Minister of State to address that. As I said earlier and at length on Second Stage, wave energy is critical.

Will the Minister of State tell the House that before 1 March, there will be a 20% reduction in energy prices across the board? That would be an adequate response by Government to what is a very serious situation. We cannot continue to be another report, study or meeting with the regulator away from action. We need it now. Again, I thank the Minister of State for his replies.