FIANNA Fáil TD Christopher O’Sullivan has called for the creation of a dedicated energy ministry to ensure security of energy supplies.
The Cork South-West TD said the establishment of a new Minister of State role would be ‘invaluable’ when it comes to tackling soaring energy costs.
‘Ireland, as a leader in wind power among EU member states, is in huge need of a dedicated Minister of State for Energy.
‘The energy crisis over the past 18 months has highlighted the importance of energy security. With an ever-changing supply and demand scenario it is clear we need to be adaptable and to be able to react quickly especially when energy prices escalate as they did last year.
‘The appointment of a standalone minister would be invaluable as we continue to develop our renewable energy streams and try to meet our ambitious climate goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,’ he said.
At present, energy forms part of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications but a number of other European countries have a dedicated minister including Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania, while France has a Minister for Energy Transition. The UK has also recently appointed Graham Stuart as Minister for Energy.
Deputy O’Sullivan added: ‘The government and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan have led a move towards clean renewable energy. However, the Minister’s portfolio is too vast and encompasses a huge workload including broadband, transport, roads, active travel, and of course, the biggest issue of all is climate change, which he should be focusing most of his attention on.
‘Having an energy minister would accelerate the move towards clean renewable energies, especially floating offshore wind and hydrogen. I call on the government to give serious consideration to creating a standalone energy portfolio. It’s too important to be lumped-in, as it is, in an already mammoth portfolio.’
