Thomas Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be fair to the Minister, his reply has been helpful. However, he should have a public consultation on the review of the planning guidelines. This is especially important given the significant changes in technology that have taken place in recent years. I ask that the companies in question withdraw their projects from the planning process until the guidelines have been reviewed. It appears they are seeking to have the planning process concluded as quickly as possible using guidelines that have become obsolete. I ask the Minister to take this into account. In County Meath, the area between Kells and Navan to the east of the old N3 is to become a hub for the export of energy. Pylons for a major EirGrid project and wind farms will all be located in one area. It is madness that at a time when the Conservative Party, the dominant partner in the UK's coalition government, is trying to ban the construction of wind farms, we are planning to build wind farms to export energy to Britain.

I ask the Minister to consider the issues I have raised. While his statement is reasonable, much work remains to be done. The companies involved should withdraw their planning applications until the Government has completed this work.