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Electricity Consents (Planning) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

I absolutely can allay the concerns because there is no substantial change in procedure here. First, there is no plan for a barrage in Strangford Lough. There is an experimental turbine in Strangford Lough for generating electricity; it is sunk into the water. That was done after proper consideration of all the environmental issues. But there is no plan for a barrage. As the noble Lord, Lord Trimble, says, these things are controversial. Wind farms are controversial—energy generation is controversial—but everybody wants the lights to go on when they flick the switch. If we do not go down this route, there will be other forms of power generation that people will find even more objectionable. There are no plans for nuclear stations in Northern Ireland—and I raise the issue only as a way in which to knock it on the head. The fact is that energy use is growing in Northern Ireland, just as it is anywhere else in the UK, and we have to do better in using renewable energy. People put up these Aunt Sallies and say, ““We don’t want coal stations that damage the atmosphere, we don’t want to use fossil fuels and we don’t want nuclear or wind farms or tidal barrages””. But we cannot all live off the sun, because sometimes it gets dark and cloudy. We have to be responsible and say to people, ““We’ve got to get energy in a safe way for the sake of the planet””. We do not have a good record in that, so we have to move things around. Making greater use of renewable resources is one way.