Deirdre Clune (Fine Gael)

There have been some very interesting debates in this House recently on the subject of energy and energy supply. The Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill was in the House last week and we had a Private Members' debate on energy. This Monday, Shell and its partners in the Corrib gas field announced that it is to spend a further €800 million supporting 700 jobs in the area to bring natural gas on shore and this is to happen by 2014. Considering that 60% of our electricity supply comes from natural gas I am sure this announcement will contribute towards security of supply. It will be of interest to the Minister and we should continue to discuss energy policy because of its importance for competitiveness, for job security and for the future of industry-----