Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second Senator Marc MacSharry's amendment to the Order of Business.

Ba mhaith liom tréaslú leis an Seanadóir Ó Ceallaigh i dtaca leis an gceist sin. I support Senator John Kelly's call for a debate on the issue of the multi-million euro wind energy industry. Every citizen with an electricity bill pays for the wind energy industry through a public service obligation levy of approximately €10. Where does this money go? It goes to fund the wind energy sector. It is a bubble which is getting bigger under the watch of the European Commission and the Minister. We need a debate on the issue. International investors now see Ireland as ripe for pickings.

On rural development funding, there has been much discussion on Pillars 1 and 2 of the CAP and the co-funding requirements. Funding for rural development under Pillar 2 is split approximately 50:50. A total of €4.8 billion was available under the rural development programme from 2007 to 2013. At the end of November €800 million of this money had not been spent. Ireland will lose this European Union money if it is not spent. It is for rural Ireland which is losing out. The rural broadband scheme was launched by the previous Government and continued by the Government, but it is now off the radar. Ireland will lose €13.5 million because the Government has decided to scrap the scheme. A total of 12,500 properties in the State do not have access to broadband. Many of these are in rural areas such as Arranmore Island, Tory Island and Dunlewey in County Donegal. In reply to a recent parliamentary question the Government stated there was no demand. I contacted the companies willing to provide the service and they wrote to me to state they had not even been consulted. The Scottish Government has drawn down money and provided the service for 2,500 residents. It is outrageous.