Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

The NewERA document refers to an investment of €7 billion to create 105,000 new jobs, yet these particular jobs would be under threat if the PSO levy was removed, and that is a reality. I would like Fine Gael to come clean and say if it is in favour of closing the power stations to which I referred. Is it against jobs in the turf powered stations in the midlands? One cannot really have it both ways, otherwise it has to be absolutely clear what money it is ring fencing to substitute for the 5% levy. Let us be absolutely clear about this.

In terms of electricity prices, Senator Dearey has already made it quite clear that the electricity price we currently have is roughly 98% of the European average. The figures are being disputed here. My information is that the figures being quoted in the latest EUROSTAT document, according to Fine Gael, are three years old. I am not quite sure whether it has the latest EUROSTAT figures or whether it is called in from old figures before the Government came into power.