Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the nature of his Department's input into the Government's Green Paper on energy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31923/06]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has a particular interest in the impact of energy policy on the competitiveness of the enterprise sector, consumers and security of supply. In the longer term I am also interested in the role which energy research in science, technology and innovation can play in helping to grow the economy in a sustainable manner. Together with the Development Agencies, my Department will continue to engage with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources on these issues during the consultation period on the Green Paper.

In addition to ongoing contacts between my Department and the Department of Communications Marine and Natural Resources, Forfás, which comes under the aegis of my Department, has carried out research and published reports to help inform the process. These reports covered such topics as our dependency on oil and fossil fuels and electricity benchmarking. My Department also published a report on the electricity market that formed an input to the Energy Green Paper.