Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I also welcome the Bill. Sinn Féin is fully behind the idea of exploring alternatives to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Using them is something we cannot do anymore. As a member of the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment, we are delving into this issue and meeting stakeholders and providers. We will launch a report with our recommendations early next year and I hope it will dovetail with the provisions of the Bill when they take full effect. Perhaps together they might make an important statement.

When we speak about moving away from the use of fossil fuels, we also have to speak about alternative renewable energy sources. As their use will help to protect our planet and the environment, we cannot just continue to explain the problems caused by the use of fossil fuels, we also need to provide solutions. Varied alternative sources of energy must be developed. Sinn Féin has put forward proposals specifying what exactly should replace fossil fuels. The microgeneration support scheme Bill would allow people to feed into the national grid, as well as gaining some income from the excess energy generated. The Bill lays out how this would happen and gives details of the scheme.

We have put forward a paper on the use of biogas generated from waste, largely farm and animal waste, which can be combined with catering food waste. The use of biogas as a renewable energy source would work to complement the intermittent nature of wind and solar energy and further help to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions which, as we know, are, unfortunately, rising. We have an international obligation to reduce our emissions by 20% by 2020, but we will only reach a figure of about 6%, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA. Other countries are way ahead of us and we will be sorely fined.

Sinn Féin has put forward the document, Powering Ireland 2030, in which it outlines a proposed energy mix for electricity generation. Our priority is to ensure energy generation in Ireland will be sustainable and secure and that the supply of energy will be affordable for all. No one in our society should struggle to heat his or her home. Our vision for Ireland can be achieved by redirecting public, semi-State and private investment into developing and deploying new energy mixes. I note that the Minister of State is proposing to set a 15% threshold for the ISIF. That is unfortunate and we could be ambitious enough to go for a figure of 20%. I would like the NTMA and the ISIF to publish what it is they are investing in and what investments are in fossil fuel companies because the more people are aware of the information, the greater the demand will be which will create an impetus for them to try to divest from such companies.

There is a need for increased support for householders, communities, farmers and small businesses through a broader range of grants to reduce emissions and produce the energy we need. We had a session of the Seanad Public Consultation Committee yesterday with small businesses and it was one of the attractions they wanted to create, especially in rural Ireland. They wanted this support to be provided for small businesses to provide a skills mix and employ people. It would bring not just specific expertise but also instil a culture of dedication to the use of renewable resources within small and medium businesses. We have seen a cultural shift in this generation which might perhaps bear fruit in the next. They are very aware and environmentally responsible. They will question everything we do and make sure it is benchmarked and proofed against the pollution of the environment. It is their future and the matter is in their hands. People's habits are changing.They now want something much more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Climate change affects us all and gives us opportunities, which we need to develop.

Bord na Móna is phasing out the cutting of peat and there has been a loss of jobs in Offaly and Laois. The company needs to develop indigenous sources of energy, with locally-grown biomass for electricity production and biogas. This will offer long-term jobs with some certainty. To give credit where credit is due, we welcome the decision by Bord na Móna not to invest in a €60 million biomass plant in the US, which would have developed wood chip to be burned in Irish electricity power plants. With so many jobs recently lost at Bord na Móna plants, the Government and the enterprise agencies need to direct the necessary resources into the areas affected by these job losses and make serious efforts to introduce new jobs to these areas. It is a start and, hopefully, momentum will grow along with demand.