Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I thank Senator Butler for his remarks.

I never heard of renewable energy feed-in tariffs until recently. I am not normally sympathetic to the IFA and farmers' lobby groups calling for something, but they issued a press release recently, about which I would like the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to be reminded. It refers to the growing of willow. Three hundred farmers around the country are growing it and there are 200 or 300 jobs — perhaps they are seasonal jobs — dependent on their doing so. The farmers in question were promised by the Minister that the renewable energy feed-in tariff would be introduced in January. The commitment was made three years ago, but it has not been followed through. It is important that it be honoured.

Another reason this issue is important is that we have set a target stipulating that 25,000 hectares should be planted with renewable energy crops by 2020, yet only 4,000 hectares have been planted at this stage. It is interesting that a Minister with a background such as that of the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has not confirmed his commitment in this regard. If we are to achieve our target, we must achieve a great deal more than we are achieving. I, therefore, ask the Leader to draw to the Minister's attention the opportunity to create jobs and reach our 2020 target. We are committed to reducing the amount of peat we use and must do so in the form I have described. There is money available to achieve this, but it has not been made available by the Minister to those who are calling for it.