Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and agreeing to take this Commencement matter. The topic concerns solar panels on farm buildings and structures. I am conscious that the Minister of State is a rural Deputy for Wexford so he will be very familiar with the issues and challenges in respect of solar panels for agriculture. This is a wonderful time for strawberries in Wexford so I can see the synergies and the potential for solar panels for soft fruit crops, particularly in the sunny south east of Wexford.

I am asking that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage clarify the current status of the draft regulations and the timelines involved. That is important. It is an issue we have discussed at great length in the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, of which I am a member. Deputy Cahill, a member of the Minister of State's party, is the Chairman. We have discussed it and teased out the issues and challenges. We have invited different representative groups and stakeholders in this area to make presentations to the committee. We see major challenges there, but we also see major opportunities. That is very important. I am also conscious of the need for strategic environmental assessment. That is a requirement, not a choice. In talking about planning law and environmental law, it is critical that we follow the processes. There is a requirement for a strategic environmental assessment, the publication of the proposals and a public consultation process, which is critical in all this.

I would appreciate if the Minister of State could give some type of guidance on where the Government intends to go now, the position with regard to the timelines and the position with the environmental impact assessment and statement.