I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Seanad. I call on the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to provide a timeline for the publication of the national planning statement on solar energy development. Let us be clear. Ireland needs renewable energy and solar energy will play a major role in helping us to meet our climate targets. Most people will accept that.

However, communities also need confidence that solar developments are being planned in a fair, transparent, consistent and balanced manner. At present, local authorities, developers and communities are operating without any national guidelines or guidance. This is creating uncertainty and concern, in particular in rural areas where large-scale solar farm applications are being proposed. In one area of north Kerry there are currently ten solar farm developments approved or progressing through the planning process, covering over 4,000 acres of land in the Listowel municipal district. This demonstrates the scale of investment coming into rural Ireland and the urgency of having a clear national framework in place.

I want to be very clear that people, including me, are not opposed to renewable energy, but they want to know what rules are being applied and what protections are in place. Communities deserve certainty and consistency, rather than having these decisions made without clear national guidelines. The national planning statement should provide clear direction on a number of key issues in regard to solar farm planning applications. It should address location and site suitability, whether the proposed site is appropriate for solar development, landscape and visual factors, the effect of solar installation on the surrounding landscape and views, glint and glare issues, the assessment and mitigation of potential impacts on nearby homes, roads, airports and other sensitive locations, residential amenities, the potential impact on neighbouring homes, including the visual impact, noise and construction disturbances, setback distances from properties and proper screening. It should also consider the quality and productive use of agricultural land.

As is the case with wind energy, community engagement is important, especially in my area. Meaningful consultation with local communities before and during the planning process, outlining the community benefit arising from renewable energy projects is necessary. As I said, almost 4,500 acres in my area are being proposed for solar wind farms. This is not a question of choosing between climate action and protecting rural Ireland. We can and we must do both. Clear national guidelines would provide certainty for communities and landowners and consistency for planning authorities across Ireland.

This is not an argument against renewable energy. As I said, it is quite the opposite. We need renewable energy. We need to meet our climate targets. We need energy security and investment in rural Ireland. We also need public confidence. If we do not bring the public with us, we will not have their confidence. People living in rural communities deserve to know the large-scale developments are being planned strategically and that their concerns are being properly considered. We should not find ourselves in a situation whereby significant areas of our rural districts are being committed to solar development before we have a clear national planning framework in place. This should not be a choice between protecting our rural environment and achieving our climate targets. As I said, we must deliver on both.

Today, I call on the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to provide a firm timeline for the publication of the national planning statements for solar energy and to ensure local communities, local authorities, farmers, environmental interests and developers have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the process. I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. He mentioned the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, whose remit is obviously very relevant to renewable energy. However, the national planning statements will be done by the Department of housing under the Minister, Deputy James Browne. Another point to make is that I cannot give an exact timeline for when the national planning statement on solar will be finalised. In that context, there are approximately 28 national planning statements that we are preparing at the moment. We have just done one on rural housing, as the Senator will be aware. There is quite a body of work to get through. I give that context at the start.

I highlight that the Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland's Future reaffirms Ireland's commitment to the ambitious target of having 8 GW of solar capacity connected to the grid by 2030 to assist with meeting the requirement that 80% of electricity demand be supplied by renewables. Solar energy is a growing source of electricity, with installed solar capacity passing the 3 GW milestone for the first time in August of this year. However, further solar capacity is required.

As many Senators will be aware, my Department is working with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, which holds policy responsibility for renewable energy matters in respect of the introduction of a number of planning statements related to Ireland's climate action plan target, to increase the share of electricity generated from renewable sources to 80% by 2030. This includes the preparation of a national planning statement for solar energy development.

Further to the commencement of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 on 2 December 2025, provisions for national planning statements have been introduced to replace the provisions for ministerial guidelines issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All existing section 28 guidelines will, over time, be revoked and replaced with new national planning statements. Any current section 28 guidelines will, however, remain in force until revoked or replaced by a corresponding national planning statement.

In respect of sectoral national planning statements in particular, there is also an important role for the relevant policy Department in collaborating with my Department on the development of these national planning statements. In that context, my Department is working closely with the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment as the Department with policy responsibility for renewable energy in order to identify the component factors relevant to the preparation of a national planning statement for solar energy, including any appropriate environmental reporting and public consultation requirements, European obligations such as the renewable energy directive, battery storage facilities and the possible timeframe for the publication of the national planning statement.

In line with EU directive requirements, a strategic environmental assessment will be carried out on any national planning statement regarding solar energy development, with opportunity for consultation by the public and all stakeholders on the draft national planning statement. Until the national planning statement for solar energy is finalised, it remains the case that no specific planning guidelines are currently in place that deal with solar energy development, as is the case for most types of development. I am satisfied, however, that in the interim, the existing and evolving planning system, supported by Government policy more generally, provides a sufficiently robust policy and legislative framework to facilitate the roll-out of solar energy development in a sustainable manner and to assist with meeting our renewable electricity requirements while balancing the perspectives of local communities and allowing for public and stakeholder engagement. In making a decision on a planning application for a solar energy development, a planning authority must consider the specific merits or otherwise of the application in line with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I mentioned the Minister for the environment. Are we saying that these guidelines have to be presented to the Minister for housing to implement? I am asking about the input from the Minister for the environment. I respect the response of the Minister of State but I do not respect the timeline or timeframe. Right now across the country, it is starting to creep up. It was brought to our attention in the Dáil last week by Deputy Kyne. He wanted a moratorium on any future grants of planning permission for solar farms until these guidelines are brought to our attention and that of the local authorities that make decisions on planning applications. I cannot build a house without a guideline. I cannot seek planning permission to build a house without any guidelines.

The one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable. Until the national planning statement for solar energy is finalised, it remains the case that no specific planning guidelines are currently in place to deal with the development of solar energy. I am here for one reason. It is starting to creep across the country. Unfortunately, there are more than 4,500 acres in north Kerry that will be covered. It is good land and the home of Kerry Group. We are on about land, lamb production and farming. The oversaturation in areas is going to require a big answer. I need the guidelines. If we can pass the buck to another Department, so be it, but I am here to look for those guidelines.

I would like to correct the record. I said there were 28 planning statements in the pipeline. Although there is a large number of planning statements, I was incorrectly reading a reference to "section 28". I correct the record on that point.

I totally understand the concern of the public out there. I totally understand the concern of people who are potentially living near proposed solar farms. That is an issue. There is a planning process in place at the moment that takes a lot of these concerns into account, including how visually obtrusive a development might be and other aspects that are relevant to planning. At the same time, offshore renewable energy is still a way off. It is something that we are focused on achieving and we are making progress there under the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. However, we still need a big mix of renewable energy, especially in the middle of a fuel crisis when we are relying on fossil fuels.

We have had a lot of objections - let us call a spade a spade - to wind turbines. We are now starting to see objections creep into areas where solar farms are planned. We are going to have to make some tough decisions. It is not going to be easy. The Senator is absolutely right that the national planning statement will help the likes of us when we are going back to our constituents who have concerns. However, I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea of a moratorium because of our need to ramp up renewable energy.

I ask the Acting Leader to suspend the House for a few moments while we await the arrival of the Minister of State, Deputy Collins.

I propose the suspension of the House.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

We do not have a Minister to attend to Senator Rabbitte's Commencement matter. We will deal with that in a moment but before I do, I want to welcome some very special guests, Core Credit Union from Ballybrack and Dr. Shashi Murthy of UCD, to our Visitors Gallery. They are guests of Deputy Cormac Delvin. I hope they enjoy their stay here. For now, I propose that we will suspend the House until 11.30 a.m.

Through the Chair, it is unfortunate that I was not allowed to come in. I hope that I can still speak and I do not wish to allow the suspension of the House without-----

Is this a point of order? The Senator can take it up during the Order of Business.

No, with respect to the Acting Chair, I will take it up now.

I thank the Acting Chair for her time as she has been sitting here waiting for a Minister to show up to take my Commencement matter. It was Commencement matter No. 4 in which I was to raise Portumna Forest Park. While I understand the Minister is in the Chamber and quite rightly so, I am disappointed that there was not cover from the Front Bench to facilitate. I always thought the procedure was that when a Minister takes that chair, they never leave it until there is a Minister outside. That is the proper protocol and unfortunately that was not adhered to this morning and unfortunately we did not have Front Bench cover. That is something that needs to be addressed at the start of this season because it is quite embarrassing to be sitting here and to be stood up by our Lower House.

I thank the Senator for her point of order. I accept that. For now, I propose we stand suspended until 11.30 a.m. Is that agreed? Agreed. I do not know what the protocol is for unsuspending the House but I can now welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, to the Chamber. We will continue the Commencement matter. I saw the Minister of State hotfooting it up from the Dáil.