Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to respond to the debate on this considered motion on renewable energy.

We all agree that energy is a basic component of modern society and that its availability and cost play a critical role in the quality of our lives and in facilitating our economic development. Our energy policy is based on ensuring a secure, clean and affordable energy supply for Ireland. Renewable energy will play a key role in shaping Ireland's energy future and will, in turn, contribute to each of our policy goals of secure, clean and affordable energy supplies. As argued by Senator Mulcahy, as a society we need to develop our indigenous renewable energy sources if we are to move away from imported fuel sources. In doing so, we not only improve our balance of payments position and reduce economic exposure to the volatile global fuel prices about which Senator Keane spoke but we reduce our overall level of carbon emissions. Upwardly, spiralling global oil prices, driven by robust demand in the emerging economies and ongoing geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East and North African regions pose risks for our future cost of energy and, potentially, our security of energy supply.

For Senator Daly to allege that the Government is somehow responsible for the geopolitical events that have led to the increase of imported fossil fuels is-----