I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the geothermal energy development Bill, which has been stalled now for a number of years. Given all the debate about energy over the past number of weeks, the advancement of this Bill should be addressed.

I live in a town in which mining is one of the largest employers. More than 600 people are employed in Tara Mines, which is the largest zinc mine in Europe. The former Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr. Pat Rabbitte, had discussed plans for a multi-million euro geothermal energy project for Navan backed by Tara Mines. We have heard no more about that project. Zinc is a finite resource and will run out over the next decade or two. Suddenly hundreds of families will be left without employment, including 600 families connected to that mine. I am sure the Taoiseach would agree with me that starting a conversation now about having alternatives in place before we reach the cliff edge is more favourable than standing outside the gates of a closed mine when the inevitable happens, and that advancing those alternative energy generators and employment options deserves to be spoken about in this Chamber. We should have that conversation now.

Work on developing the geothermal energy development Bill has been deferred until other legislative priorities have been dealt with. The immediate priority includes fully transposing EU environmental impact assessment legislation into existing minerals legislation to ensure the compliance of national legislation with EU requirements. The other priority is the full commencement of the Minerals (Development) Act 2017, which provides for a modern legislative and regulatory framework for the exploration and production of minerals in Ireland. The commencement of the Act requires the preparation of several statutory instruments and guidance documents to enable proper implementation of the new Act and its operation by the mining industry, which will take approximately 18 months. In that context, the work on the geothermal legislation will include reviewing the proposed geothermal regulatory framework to ensure it is compatible with the Minerals (Development) Act 2017 and the underlying policy in the context of the White Paper on Energy from 2015, which included a geothermal Bill in the programme and which may have led to some confusion as to when the Bill will be published. It is another item that will appear on the agendas of the new Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney.