My question concerns the health implications of wind farms. My journey regarding the health implications of wind farms started in Coolcappa over two years ago. Recently we had meetings in Bruff, Dromin, Athlacca and Bruree about wind turbines and how local authorities have no input into wind turbines. They are now considered to be strategic infrastructure, which means they go straight to An Bord Pleanála.

There is an influx of applications for wind farms across the country. Wind energy guidelines were produced in 2006. In June 2013, Deputy Micheál Martin stood in front of Enda Kenny here and told him that the health implications of wind turbines are real. The guidelines were upgraded in 2019 but we are awaiting the guidelines around wind turbines. We are talking about health. Do the Members in this Chamber know that if a wind turbine goes into their area, and I have nothing against the landowners who are putting up wind turbines because they are entitled to do so and I ask people not to go after them, the contract states that they can place them wherever they like within their farms? This could be within 2 or 3 metres of someone's house where there is shadow flicker. They can also be placed near a school. The World Health Organization, WHO, said it should be 1 metre for every 10 but in Ireland, it is 1 metre for every 4. If an application for a wind turbine is successful and if someone wants to build a house within 3 km of a wind turbine, the wind turbine owners can object. What are their objections? They are that these wind turbines may cause shadow flicker. This is what they are telling people will happen within a 5 km radius and are using this to object to houses. A person building a house also has to sign up to not objecting to anything on environmental grounds for ten years of the contract. On one hand, the developers are telling people that there will be shadow flicker if they build a house but on the other hand, they are telling them there is no shadow flicker if they build them close to their houses. When will the guidelines eventually be published? The Tánaiste has met the people so now I need to know.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue on behalf of his constituents. It is an issue he raises regularly. I think the Deputy and I agree on this but it is certainly my position and that of the Government that wind energy is a good thing. Renewable energy is a good thing. The health consequences of not having good clean renewable energy far outweigh other issues in terms of health implications. Let us think of all the health implications of the climate emergency and the burning of fuels that pollute our atmosphere, including the lung and respiratory conditions and the impact of them in all our communities over many years and the good work of predecessors such as Mary Harney on smokeless fuel.

The point the Deputy makes frequently and well is about the need for planning guidelines for communities, local authorities and planning authorities to help them understand the rules under which planning can be granted. I met some of the Deputy's constituents on this matter during the term of the previous Government. The review of the guidelines has been ongoing for a very long time. I fully accept that point. The review has ongoing for several years. I spoke with the Minister of State with responsibility for planning, Deputy Cummins, today and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage previously and was informed that significant progress has been made towards concluding the review. The review is looking at all aspects such as setback distance, noise, shadow flicker, community obligation and community dividend, which is always important, and grid connection. The noise aspect of this review has been highly technical and took considerably longer than was perhaps originally expected but I understand that this is now substantially complete so there is a real effort by the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, and his officials to get this right and I thank him for his work on this. In addition to the noise aspect of the guidelines that added to the length, the evolving policy and technical context, including our new Planning and Development Act, which we passed last year, and the first revision of the national planning framework, which was approved by the Oireachtas at the end of April 2025, reinforced the need to get the finalised guidelines right and make sure they are fit for purpose and fit for that context as well.

We are trying to strike a balance between the planning views of local communities and the impact on their areas and the need for renewable and sustainable forms of energy. There is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to prioritise the publication of these guidelines. I know the Minister of State is prioritising this work. A strategic environmental assessment has been carried out and a public consultation on the draft updated guidelines will take place. This will provide the Deputy, his constituents and his party with an opportunity to submit observations on that draft. I will keep the Deputy informed.

In the interim, there is an influx of wind turbines. In Europe, Eamon Ryan signed up to 16,000 wind turbines going inland. DMAPs were delayed for five years so we could not look at offshore and they are talking about renewable energy. We are talking about health implications. Do Members know that when wind turbines are turned off, the wind energy company gets more money through funds from Government than it receives when the turbines are turned on per the contracts they have? When the turbines are off, the company earns more money. They are now applying for wind turbines in low wind areas and increasing the height of the wind turbines to try to make the statistics work. I met Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael councillors in Bruree recently and they asked us to nail our colours to the mast. They said they agreed with me that this needs to happen because of the health implications. They also mentioned that Deputy Niall Collins had nailed his colours to the mast and said he agreed with them as well. I need to know whether Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael agree with the WHO regarding the health implications of wind turbines and whether they will take full responsibility when the WHO has said that they have health implications? Will they take personal responsibility? They are doing it knowingly and in legal terms, if they are doing something knowingly, they are personally responsible. Can Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael nail their colours to the mast regarding the health implications of wind turbines that are in proximity to houses, schools and other necessities and say that they are okay with it? Delaying the guidelines for 19 or 20 years is not helping when it comes to the health implications. We are talking about health.

I am quite sure my Fine Gael councillors agree with me on wanting to get this right and this being about a balance in terms of planning. I am sitting beside the Minister for Health and I make the point more broadly that the health impact of climate change and the climate emergency is very real. We all know in our communities, and I think we agree on this across the House, that the health implications of people breathing in dirty air have been very real in the form of cancers and respiratory disease, so the move to renewables is a really good thing. The commitment we have is to get to 80% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

63% are owned by China.

But the ownership is not-----

We are not getting it.

Address your remarks-----

I do not want to be argumentative because it is an important issue to the Deputy's constituents but------

So it is not our energy.

-----the ownership issue is a different issue. I am talking about how we are going to power the country and how we are going to have clean air-----

Offshore.

Offshore is a very important part and my constituency will see a significant amount of that, but this is about getting the planning guidelines right. There are lots of different views about health and climate as well-----

With all due respect it has been 20 years, Tánaiste.

I must look at those points the Deputy makes. What I am saying to him, and more importantly to his constituents, as well as people I meet across the country looking for guidelines on this, is the publication of new revised guidelines is a priority for the Government-----

When?

-----and we will have an opportunity to have consultation on those guidelines-----

When?

-----so communities can directly have their say in the coming months. The Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is leading on that for us.