Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein)

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire don Teach. Tá an Bille seo teicniúil go leor agus cuirimid fáilte roimhe agus roimh na leasuithe a ghlac an tAire ar bord. Pointe beag a thógfaidh mé maidir leis na comhlachtaí leath-Stáit atá againn faoi láthair, áfach, ná go raibh ainmneacha Gaelacha againn ach feicim go bhfuilimid ag dul i dtreo ainmneacha atá níos Gallda ar nós Electric Ireland agus mar sin de. D'iarrfainn ar an Aire sin a thabhairt ar ais dá chomhghleacaithe mar tá baint aige sin ag an bhrandáil atá againn mar thír bhreá Ghaelach nuair atá ainm bhreá Ghaelach ar na comhlachtaí leath-Stáit. Ba mhaith liom go dtógfadh an Rialtas sin ar bord seachas Electric Ireland, Gaslink agus a leithéid.

I do not want to go over points made previously but wish to take the opportunity to focus on some particular parts of the Bill and on general energy policy. In particular, I note the sections which deal with the energy demand reduction target programme. This is one of the key parts of the State's commitment to reduce energy consumption by 20% by 2020. Clearly, any savings for the consumer must be welcomed, in particular in the context of rising energy costs and the huge pressures our citizens are under, in particular the elderly and vulnerable for whom fuel costs account for a large part of their income.

We must, in addition, find other means of reducing energy costs and examine other means of producing energy. We are still hugely dependent on importing fossil fuels to a level of almost 90% of current requirements. There have been a number of calls for a debate on this issue but I would welcome a debate on the licensing regime for the oil and gas industry off our coast. A number of licences were granted recently and there was a review of the licensing regime, so I would welcome a debate on that because we are talking about security of supply. I understand that under the present regime, there are no clauses in those licences to guarantee the State security of supply even if a pipeline comes in land in this State. It is important to look at that licensing regime.

Coming from the west, I am aware of the huge potential which exists in regard to renewable energy all along the western seaboard. It has been stated many times over but the potential is enormous. We could become an energy exporter and could become giants in terms of renewable energy due to the advantages we have as an island nation on the Atlantic and by generating wind, wave and tidal power. There is an estimated €100 billion in potential energy to be generated from wave power around our coastline.

There are some anomalies in the system and it might be useful to engage with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan. For example, in the county development plan for County Galway, when the zoning proposals were put in place, they excluded all the special protection areas in County Galway, which is 90% of Connemara where most of the wind power is available. I understand wind farms are exempt under the EU SPA regulations and that one can have a wind farm in a special protection area. That has been done in places such as County Donegal. A discussion with the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and the local authorities to harmonise the regimes throughout the country might useful.

The ESB is eventually putting a 110 kV line into west Connemara, for which we have been waiting for quite a long time. I have been told by some people developing wind energy projects that the issue there is that those wind energy projects will not be able to connect into that 110 kV line. That is another anomaly in that we will have the potential to generate the electricity but potentially we will not be able to connect into the network.

In these difficult times, the primary focus of the Government should be on creating employment and investing in measures that would create jobs. I urge the Government to consider a programme of investment in capital programmes to improve our renewable energy infrastructure thus creating countless jobs directly and indirectly as well as benefiting our economy in the long run in terms of the return on investment and the export of substantial amounts of energy.

I refer to a point made by Senator Darragh O'Brien. Citizens' rights must be upheld in all these scenarios. The Senator referred to Rossport and the 15 years it took to bring gas ashore. It took 15 years because people exercised their constitutional right to challenge the progress there. That was right and the only reason a company like Shell would stay for 15 years is that it realises it will make billions in profits from those gas fields. History will probably say that the local citizens were treated very badly in the whole process and that the State and big business colluded to railroad that project through. We also saw a smaller version of this in the Teresa Treacy case in which I understand the Minister intervened to try to have a bit of fair play brought into that situation.

I note the enormous issue of fuel poverty and I commend the Government on accepting our amendment in the Dáil in regard to the alleviation of fuel poverty. I support the calls in regard to the warmer homes scheme. Many people in Galway greatly benefited from the scheme by having their attics done. They were told an inspector would call to check the cavity walls in order that they could be done but they have now been told that will not happen. If resources could be found, it would be very important to try to revisit the decision on the warmer homes scheme in order that attics and cavity walls could be done.

In a reply to a question on fuel poverty recently, the Minister referred to the energy efficiency of homes as being a key factor, along with what I would regard as the even more important factors of energy prices and actual household income. A report based on statistics gathered over the winter of 2006-07 showed that there were 1,300 excess deaths which in large measure can be attributed to illness caused by persons being unable to properly heat their homes. The vast majority of those deaths were of those aged 65 and over. In his reply, the Minister stated that enhancing the energy efficiency of low income homes through permanent structural improvements is the most effective means of addressing energy affordability. This could make a significant contribution to alleviating fuel poverty and I commend what work has been done under the better energy warmer homes scheme and encourage further progress in this regard but note that without investment, this work is likely to be further slowed down.

We need a full debate on fracking. The former Minister, Deputy Ó Cuív, introduced the initial licences to allow the companies to go ahead with the exploratory work. We must ensure that process is environmentally sustainable and that the rights of local people are taken into consideration if we are to consider the potential of developing the fracking industry here.