We need a service that services the people. It is a kind of Irish joke that you would have a bus service that is happier with no passengers than with passengers and is still running at a cost to the State.

I thank the Minister of State for anticipating the second part of my question regarding Knock Airport. The proposal is quite simple. Let us start on a phased basis, say, for the months of June, July and August, that the bus would run down as far as Knock Airport. Telling me there is connecting buses is like telling me I can get a flight to a holiday destination and that I can get a cheaper flight if I fly to London, then on to somewhere else and keep changing flights until I get there rather than taking direct flig…

I would probably agree with that. It can save on the hot air in here.

I want to join with my colleagues. We are all on the same committee. There are two very simple things. There is energy out there. However, we are turning off the wind turbines because we think there is nobody to use it. There is plenty of energy available. There are people who need hot water or who maybe could use that energy to do other things in the evening. Let us use technology to people's benefit. The second point is one I do not understand. It will take years to refurbish every local authority house. I cannot…

Leaving aside the historical hydroelectricity that we produce, in more recent years most of the increase in energy has been onshore wind. This is very good. What increase have we had in relation to onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and other renewables in 2023? What research is going on in respect of tidal and wave energy? If these could be harnessed, they provide a very interesting source of energy with a higher reliability than onshore or offshore wind.

The Minister did not give me the figures for the increase in 2023 in the amount of electricity being generated from onshore wind, offshore wind, solar and other renewables, respectively. It is a very specific question. The challenge is to have a year-on-year increase. The Minister is going to tell me there has been a big increase in solar energy last year. That is great news. I would like to get the figures. It frustrates me when I table a parliamentary question in which I specifically ask for data that must be ava…

No, it is the increase.

For wind.

What is the increase?

Can we get the exact figures?

Can you get them and send them to me, as the question asked?

The data I was looking for-----

I am not going to argue about the-----

I look forward to getting the detailed information as requested in the question. I will not come back on the Minister if there proves to be slight tolerance required or inaccuracies in the reply. My question is on wave and tidal energy. My understanding was the research on wave energy is ongoing. Ten years ago or more, Wavebob was carrying out tests in respect of wave energy in Galway Bay. The Minister's answer seems to indicate we have not even got this far. Are we going backwards on wave energy? My understanding …

I have to confess I have not had enough time to fully prepare for this debate. There are a number of comments I would like to make because I have been listening to the debate for the past hour. I do not think anybody argues against biodiversity. Nature restoration has a kind of broad feelgood factor but I wonder how much understanding some of the people talking have of the complexity of land, agriculture and history. To what point in time are we seeking to restore nature? Do we want to restore it to what it was lik…

Fearaim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit anseo tráthnóna. Is maith an rud é go bhfuilimid ag plé na ceiste seo ach, ar bhealach, is é an rud a gcaithfimid a bheith aireach faoi ná go bpléifimid an cheist seo uair amháin sa bhliain agus ansin go gcuirimid ar leataobh é. Leanann an polasaí agus forbairt pholasaí ar aghaidh chuile lá. Tá rudaí áirithe curtha i gcrích. Céim mhór chun cinn ag an Rialtas seo ab ea Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 agus go mór mór feicimid toradh air sin ó thaobh na fógraíochta de. Tá …

The Irish Wheelchair Association, IWA, has made it clear there is a need for a national mandatory minimum accessible standard for infrastructure for active travel and for road developments. I want to tackle a subset of this issue. It might come as a surprise to some that there are many scheduled bus services provided in this country that are not wheelchair accessible. Apparently, the National Transport Authority, NTA, does not make it a condition of the licence of these scheduled bus services that they be wheelchai…

These two questions seek to ascertain the number of farmers with and without commonage in ACRES, the number who have received a payment to date, and when the balance who have not got paid will receive a payment. I understand the vast majority of those are farmers with commonage because there is a lot of disquiet about payments, which I think the Minister is aware of. I understand he is taking some steps but I would be interested to find out exactly what the situation is.

Have we any idea of how the commonages will be scored and what the final outcome there will be? Many farmers are not only worried about getting payments, because they need payment urgently, but they are also concerned about the uncertainty regarding the final size of the payment they will get under ACRES, particularly in relation to commonage. How soon will they be given the final score on their land and also on their commonages? Will the Minister also tell me how many farmers have got their payment to date and how…

How many did the Minister say?