I want to put on record the following fact. This year the German taxpayer will subsidise the wind energy industry in Germany to the tune of €23 billion. That is not small change by any standards, even for the Germans. So much for cheap energy or for what we are being told is free energy. Yesterday, as part of an ongoing propaganda process, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland published a report that is ráiméis masquerading as a report that is really propaganda driven by wind energy developers. The policy devised by SEAI is totally contaminated and undermined by vested interests. It is entirely unacceptable that this country is being sleep-walked into an energy policy that is being driven by developers in cahoots with policymakers. We know what happened the last time that happened in this country. I thought that we had left that kind of politics, policy making and strategy behind us. Have we replaced the Fianna Fáil Galway tent with a new teepee of cosy cronies? I do not say this lightly this morning, a Chathaoirligh. The chairman of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Mr. Brendan Halligan, is a consultant for the wind industry. He works for the biggest wind farm developer in the country, Mainstream energy and is on the board of Mainstream energy.

It is not fair to Mr. Halligan to name him in the House and put him on the record when he is not here to defend himself.

Mr. who? I could not hear his name.

I look forward to him being able to defend himself at any juncture outside the House because I will repeat this position as soon as we finish here. This is on the public record. Mr. Halligan's position is untenable. He should resign because the fact of the matter is one cannot serve the public interest, devise the policy-----

The Senator is completely out of order.

This is a matter of serious public concern. SEAI has a plan to develop 28,000 MW of energy from wind turbines.

The Senator cannot impugn a person's reputation.

It will destroy the country, the landscape and people's homes.

Has the Senator a question for the Deputy Leader?

Can we have the debate on energy policy that Senator Kelly and I have been requesting for months?

The Senator should resign from the Labour Party.

We need to step back from walking this country into another NAMA for wind farm developers. The policy, as currently devised, is unsustainable economically and it will destroy the country environmentally for generations. This is a serious matter, which we will raise repeatedly.

Hear, hear.

The Senator does not have privilege at Labour Party Parliamentary Party meetings and, therefore, he is right to use it here.