An Bord Pleanála has just approved planning permission for Shannon LNG's new power plant in Tarbert. While it is not yet clear exactly how that will be fuelled, it looks likely that it will be LNG. What is very clear is the Taoiseach's Government's U-turn on the use of LNG and fracked gas. Decision after decision of the Government is locking us into a fossil-fuelled future. That is the reality of it. It looks like the Government has very firmly opened the door to US LNG and fracked gas. Did the Taoiseach have any discussions with Donald Trump about LNG and its importation from the US?

No, I did not, but I am interested in how the Deputy is conflating the Bord Pleanála decision - I hope she accepts that An Bord Pleanála is an independent body-----

I did not conflate anything.

I am just making the point that I hope that everybody accepts that it is an independent body. Its decision should not be conflated with an earlier decision of the Government in respect of energy security, which is required. The legal opinion, by the way, to the previous Minister, which is on file in the Department, is such that, legally, it is not possible to prohibit fracked gas as to what comes in, including through the British gas pipelines that come into Ireland, from where we get most of our gas. It is not legally possible in terms of the source of various gases we import.

We import the vast majority and we then have the Corrib gas field. We have done no U-turn. In fact, in the previous Government, proposals had been prepared around a national gas security reserve. Why was this? It was because if anything happened to those pipelines, the Irish economy and society would be in deep trouble. It is as simple as that. I put the energy security question to the entire House. Are people suggesting we do not have any security at all or any backup?

We want transparency.

There is full transparency. The Government took a decision and announced it, you know.

There is a commercial operation-----

There is a new report on this-----

The energy security piece is separate to An Bord Pleanála's decision.