Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I recognise the new Leader, as other Senators have done, and wish him well. I would like to second the amendment to the Order of Business that was proposed by Senator Boyle. I hope the new Leader will look kindly on it.

As long as the current Seanad is in place, we should do our jobs. The new Leader should look to ensure further debates take place. I would like us to discuss the energy security crisis we are facing in this country. Such a debate is crucial. Since the Seanad broke up at the start of the general election campaign, the price of oil has increased to in excess of $100 a barrel, an appalling nuclear crisis has developed in Japan and water supplies in Tokyo have been cut off, which makes it somewhat difficult for the nuclear option to happen in this particular country. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, told the other House last year that Ireland is "acutely exposed in the event of fossil fuel import disruptions ... [because] ... fossil fuels comprise 96% of Ireland's primary energy mix ... all oil used for energy and over 90% of natural gas is imported [and] Ireland is at the end of a long supply chain that mostly originates in regions of geopolitical instability". That is clear from the situation in Tripoli, as has been pointed out, and from the difficulties in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.

The Minister, Deputy Coveney, also said last year that "Ireland has a total of only 11 days of commercial storage capacity for natural gas which may, or may not, be filled at any particular time", and that "Ireland has only a few days of commercial stocks of oil on the island and is dependent on 24/7 availability of Dublin Port and the Whitegate refinery". There is an impending oil and energy crisis. When people ask about the major financial crisis in the world, they often ask why no one warned them about it. I believe we have to warn the people about the impending energy crisis. I admire Fine Gael's NewERA document. I am pleased a Minister of State is now responsible for it. We have to take it seriously. This country's economy is more exposed than any other in Europe to the needs of energy security. We should have a debate on it in the Seanad.