Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for their support for this amendment, which we have flagged over many months. We said in 2017 that we would introduce a proposal of this nature on Report Stage as part of our efforts to deal with these issues in this planning Bill. The Government is proceeding with caution in this area, which is under constant review.

Data centres are prioritised by IDA Ireland and the Department of Business, Enterprise, and Innovation, both of which are doing great work to secure investment and jobs for this country. Data centres are recognised as key infrastructure in supporting companies that are located here. The companies in question are creating a lot of employment here and will continue to do so into the future. They have been well looked at. They are being prioritised as part of national policy. As part of this process, we need to be fully aware of the level of energy use associated with them.Each application is subject to an environmental impact assessment, EIA, and an energy consumption assessment as well. In many cases, the proposals include suggestions on energy production, which is important. Senator Humphreys made the point that as a country we have to decide where we will use our energy resources. We are determined that data centres are a key part of our offering and they are a major part of the IDA's work. All Departments are monitoring the issue.