Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State for such a comprehensive response. I really welcome the confirmation that these planning guidelines are in the ether. I would appreciate hearing if there is any particular timeline. I am very much in favour of biomethane and biogas. It is well established technology in mainland Europe but it is not necessarily something we have investigated here. It has many benefits from energy, climate and agricultural perspectives. If we want to meet out targets and introduce these plants around the country, it is important for us not to split communities and drive the public against these measures. It seems mad that when this national biomethane strategy was published 12 months ago, there was no reference to planning guidelines. This led to differences between country development plans and different local authorities and a lack of consultation with communities. I am not against biomethane and I recognise its importance but these guidelines need to be published and published soon so that we are not splitting communities and driving the public against these necessary measures.