Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The facts are that the Labour Party did engage in the debate and there is evidence that it did so in my constituency when power lines were being erected there in 2001 and 2002.

On the general issue to which the motion relates, there is a need to protect local interests and communities. Whether it is a farmer who is developing a project or, as in this instance, a company such as EirGrid or a multinational, the genuine views of local communities are not being dealt with in an independent, transparent manner. That is what is at issue. The Minister referred to the town of Rush which my colleague, Senator Darragh O'Brien, represents. The Senator has informed me that the one Member of the Oireachtas who raised major concerns about that matter at the time and who wrote to all of his constituents to alert them to the fact that there were real concerns about overhead power lines and that the then Government should insist on the use of underground power lines is the Minister for Health. Is it the case that when one is a Government Minister, the concerns of constituents become a distant memory? Should people's concerns to the effect that EirGrid or some multinational company is going to rape the country's potential for generating wind energy be brushed aside?

The request contained in the motion is reasonable. The Minister's Department issued a policy direction in July on the suspension of the granting of planning permission for any wind energy project pending consultation. I welcomed that direction because it advocated a good course of action. The same line should be followed in this instance and the process should be suspended until mediation takes place or new legislation is introduced. The latter would reflect the spirit of the July press statement issued by the Minister's Department. That press statement and the motion brought forward by Senator Rónán Mullen are not a million miles apart. It would be very wrong for anyone to state this is not the case.

The motion is constructive and should be supported. Regardless of whether we are in government or opposition, as legislators, we should always listen to the views of the people, even if they relate to the impact the erection of massive turbines might have on tourism or the value of private property or the health implications involved such as children contracting leukaemia or some other disease. We must stand back and give the process some breathing space. It must not be the case that, irrespective of the outcome of the consultation process, the application will proceed on the basis of cost. If there is an extra cost involved in running the lines underground, EirGrid will obviously opt for the most financially attractive option.