Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I would like to echo everything that has been said. I thank the Minister and wish him well. As I spoke during the Second Stage debate, I wanted to be present when we wrapped it up. I pay tribute to my colleague, Senator Daly, who proposed amendments as our party's spokesperson in this area. I hope the Minister will fight the good fight at Cabinet level to restore some of the money that was lost to his Department as a result of the economic downturn. He knows that additional funds would help small operators in the home heating sector. I am sure he will agree this Bill is about trying to improve fuel efficiency, not only in terms of suppliers and distributors but also in terms of home owners. Perhaps that is one way of reducing our overall energy bill. I hope the Minister will secure the resources to allow him to be more proactive in trying to encourage householders to be more fuel efficient. I appreciate that he is quite active in this regard. I could give many examples of what could be done. Many people leave electrical appliances, such as, televisions and computers on stand-by mode, not realising that it is costing them up to 50% of the original cost if the appliance had been on fully. Even that simple efficiency measure of turning off the appliance at source would help to reduce the energy bill considerably. I wish the Minister well in an important portfolio.