Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. There is some positive stuff in it, but it appears to be lacking in terms of the level of ambition we would like to see for the west of Ireland. I understand the technology is slightly different and is not as easy to install floating, as opposed to fixed bottom, turbines, but the Minister of State acknowledged in his reply that the wind resources off the west coast are far greater than elsewhere. If we are serious about achieving our 2030 targets, which we are currently not on track to meet, and we want to do more than that longer-term, that is where we have to be ambitious and what we should aim for.

I ask for a renewed commitment to advancing projects in the west of Ireland because that is where we will reap the greatest benefit. It should not deter us because it is the more difficult option; if it is the better option it is the one we should pursue now and not wait for ten years when we will have missed our 2030 target.

I also welcome the new development plan, OREDP II. It will consider the possibility of offshore wind for the west coast. We will be waiting with bated breath to read that plan next year. We hope we will deliver it in quarter 1, as the Minister of State promised in his response.

I did not hear anything from the Minister of State about the level of investment the Government is putting into the development of offshore wind. I am not sure if he has any answers to that at the moment. If he does not, his officer might forward that information on at the earliest opportunity. I ask for some more detail on the cross-departmental offshore wind delivery task force. Who is on it? Does the Minister of State sit on it? Are there any Members of the Oireachtas on it? Does it meet in public or in private?Is there access to the minutes? Is there transparency around the work that the task force does? It sounds interesting and promising. I would love an opportunity as a Member of this House to engage with that task force.