Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Senator agrees that it is unlikely that, under a strict cost-benefit analysis, extending the gas network will be found to be viable. He has also said that there is a project of investigation to see whether biogas can be injected and whether we can make progress on that. I support that. The midlands have been targeted for just transition funding. We need to find ways forward and biogas has not been developed in Ireland in the past in the way it has been in other countries like Germany. That will certainly be an important part of the climate action plan. I am happy to engage with the Senator further and put him in contact with the Minister if that helps, although, as pointed out, Gas Networks Ireland technically comes under the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. However, it is obviously an energy matter and a matter of heating homes. The key thing is that we need to help towns in places like Longford and the midlands to find a way to transition to something different and that certainly could be AD or biogas. I would be keen to do anything I can to help in that regard.