Vol. 889 No. 1
92. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress that has been made by the Post Office Business Development Group established by the Government to identify and implement new business opportunities for the post office network; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31756/15]
I am seeking an update on the progress made by the post office development group established by the Government to identify and implement new business opportunities for the post office network. It is timely for us to have an update on this. The issue of post office closures, particularly in rural areas, is an old chestnut. What is envisaged as the way forward by the development group is for post offices to be put on a sustainable footing. We know there has been a change in the number of people using the postal system, so post offices have had to diversify. Equally, we know that in rural areas there is a deficit in services like banking and so on, so it would seem that post offices could be in a position, if properly supported, to step into that breach and provide vital services to rural communities. There is also the issue of social welfare payments into banks. If the post offices had a range of services to receive money in that fashion, it could address the issue of such payments having to be made to banks.
A similar question was asked before this one. I could read the prepared reply into the record for the Deputy's benefit or speak to the issue in general.
The Minister of State probably does not want to repeat himself.
I sat on the business development group and Mr. Bobby Kerr was very sincere and genuine in his approach to pulling together all the various stakeholders. The Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and I are on the group so there is political input. There are other representative groups and stakeholders as well. From day one, Mr. Kerr was consistent in saying that he wanted outcomes and proposals to go directly to the Minister.
Later in the autumn, after all the consultation input has been collated, we will be making proposals that will not only be going to the Minister, Deputy White's desk, but to Cabinet. Within that, as we discussed with Deputy Moynihan earlier in respect of social welfare and other Government contracts, there are bread-and-butter issues with the post office which needs these contracts to survive. That has been the focus and has been very much the way Bobby Kerr has steered this. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Bobby's role in this.
It is not finished; there is still a lot of work to do. It is not about convincing the electorate that things might happen. Key commitments must be given by various Departments, whether the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, where there are services through local authorities that could potentially help post offices. The Deputy's raising of this question today helps to feed into this process and I thank her for that.
As the Minister of State speaks to the wider context, I would like to think that, in terms of the vision for rural Ireland that we are developing, we look to the small towns, which may lack post offices, banking or doctors. Maybe there should be a minimum requirement that people would have these basic services in their small market towns and we should have a reasonable ambition of how this might be delivered. I do not mean every town, but that people would not have to travel beyond a certain radius to access some basic services that people in cities and big urban centres take for granted but for which increasingly people in rural Ireland must travel to avail of. That would consolidate communities. The post office is vital, but it is part of a bigger picture of services that we need to copperfasten for rural Ireland. Often these issues are dealt with in a more ad hoc way. I know this is more the portfolio of the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, and it requires looking at the bigger picture, but the post offices are crucial.
I share Deputy Mulherin's concern and that of all the Deputies. Whether one is on Tory Island, where the postmaster has told me that is where people meet on pension day, where they talk and congregate, or in Letterkenny, Castlebar or Westport, one will be meeting people in the post office and that must be the focus. The bread and butter issue in respect of the service providers, the postmistresses and postmasters is keeping the offices open. That does require Government contracts and we must keep the focus there. As I said earlier, a certain person who runs a post office suggested to me that there is a role for the Wild Atlantic Way. As a Mayo person, Deputy Mulherin can think of post offices along the Wild Atlantic Way, in small villages and towns, which could be information points for people coming in and wanting to know about the services in a particular area. Ideas like that are critical in forming the basis of Bobby Kerr's report and it is important that we continue to feed into it as legislators and remain vigilant. We have to look at other countries too. I saw a photograph recently of a post office in Australia, which was a hub, a place where people congregated, no different from in Ireland. It is the same the world over, but we have to ensure their survival through continued Government intervention.
Does Deputy McNamara want to ask a question?
Yes, a supplementary question. Further to Deputy Mulherin's question, as the Central Bank is pushing towards a cashless society and as more moneys, including social welfare moneys, are lodged to bank accounts, can the Minister of State explain to the House the obstacles to An Post providing banking services and, in particular, every post office having an ATM, not just inside it, but one that is accessible to the community through the weekend as well? Many communities do not have an ATM, which is now a real hindrance as people carry less cash for a variety of reasons. The Minister of State mentioned the Wild Atlantic Way. I made a submission to the group with regard to tourist information offices. It is not only on the Wild Atlantic Way that we need tourist information and post offices are ideally equipped to provide tourist information, both on a national basis and information that is particular to the locality. Maybe they could charge commission for some tourist services. Is there an obstacle to that? What is the obstacle to a greater array of banking services being provided by post offices?
I will take the Deputy's first point about the tourism. I must say, I admire that, as a Clare man, he is looking to spread the tourism outwards.
Eastwards, anyway.
Hopefully he will send a few upwards, because I heard a projected figure of 1.2 million tourists visiting the Cliffs of Moher this year, so they are doing well. I compliment everyone in the tourism sector in County Clare in that regard. He is right that there are opportunities. I am glad he made that submission as well. That is a proactive way of doing that. I do not think there are any obstacles to providing the card. When we think of providing a card for a post office, we do not have to be looking at the possibility of an ATM at a post office because if a person has a current account and has a card, they can use it anywhere, in any other banking outlet. There is work going on in respect of that. Key discussions about financial services and opportunities are happening. To instil confidence in the public, we have to ensure that this agenda stays live.
Tourism.
Deputy Thomas Pringle has the next question.
Sorry, on tourism?
Tourism services.
Yes, I raised that because it was a submission made by a postmistress in Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, and I am glad to see that Dunfanaghy is on the same wavelength as County Clare.
93. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide an update on the role his Department has played in promoting greater financial inclusion; his views on establishing a standard bank account in post offices to ensure everyone, especially those on low incomes, have access to financial services relevant to their needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31793/15]
This question is indirectly related to the previous one. It deals mainly with the Minister of State's role and that of his Department in providing for greater financial inclusion, specifically in the establishment of the standard bank account and the role the post office network can play in the roll-out of that. I wanted to see where that factored into the work the Minister of State's Department is doing.
The Strategy for Financial Inclusion, which is being led by the Department of Finance, called for the nationwide launch of a standard bank account as a first step in promoting financial inclusion. A pilot project for a standard bank account was completed in March 2013 after a nine-month pilot period. A total of 205 accounts were opened during the pilot. The report of the working group on the pilot project noted a number of reasons for the low level of take-up, including the view of stakeholders that one of the key elements required as part of the preparations for a successful national roll-out of a standard bank account is greater involvement by An Post and the credit unions.
The Department of Finance is currently transposing the payment accounts directive, which requires that all consumers legally resident in the EU must have access to a payment account with basic features, regardless of their financial circumstances. The directive must be transposed by September 2016 and the Department of Finance is considering how to make progress on this issue in light of the experience of the standard bank account pilot project.
The initial report of the post office network business development group was presented to the Minister in May 2015. The report identified the provision of financial services, including those for the unbanked, as fundamental to the future viability of the post office network. There are several advantages in offering basic banking services through the post office network, including the trust factor and the community focus of the network. Successfully aligning these advantages with the provision of suitable basic banking products has the capacity both to support financial inclusion and enhance the role of the post office network.
While it is too early to indicate the contents of the final report, financial services will be an important component of it. I expect the final report to be submitted to the Minister later in the autumn.
Some 17% of people in Ireland are unbanked and that is why the financial inclusion project was set up. The Minister of State mentioned in his response the pilot project that was run by the Department of Finance. The remarkable thing about that was that An Post was not included in the pilot project. That is why there was such a low uptake of the standard bank account, because people simply did not trust the banks enough to open an account with them. The vast majority of the 17% of people who are unbanked are probably people in receipt of social welfare who use the post office network to get their payments. The fact the post office should be able to have the standard bank account makes perfect sense in terms of financial inclusion and promoting financial inclusion. Unfortunately, the only people who do not seem to see that are those in Government.
The Minister mentioned that the post office development group launched its consultation in May. On the same day it published its six-point consultation, the Department of Social Protection was sending out forms to clients encouraging them to open bank accounts and to move away from the post office. There are different Departments working to different agendas and there is not a united vision across Government in this regard. Unfortunately, that is the area in which the Minister of State's Department is falling down. He must get a grip on it and ensure there is a uniform response right across Government.
To take Deputy Pringle's last point on a uniform response, my confidence lies in the fact that this business development group's report will land not only on the Minister, Deputy White's desk but in front of the Cabinet. It will be subject to discussion by Cabinet which will also discuss acceptance of the proposals. It has to be uniform, united and proactive. Otherwise, there would have been no point doing this in the first place. I am not here to be part of a business development group which is not serious about what it intends doing. There has to be an outcome, be it financial or through Government intervention.
The Deputy referred to trust in banking. Credit unions and post offices are in the community. Those in the banking sector, including many who are retired, would speak of the lack of community engagement today whereas bankers knew their communities 15, 20 or 25 years ago. The credit unions and the post offices know the people in their communities and they are now at an advantage in terms of winning the trust of the public. What we have got to do is build on that.
No doubt it has to be built on. I would be worried about the commitment of other Departments to build on that, particularly considering the Department of Finance did not even include An Post in the initial roll-out and trial project for the standard bank account and has been dragging its heels on including An Post in it ever since. Given what the Department of Social Protection did on the day the working group published its consultation, how one will achieve that within Government will be key to the success in ensuring financial inclusion is achieved and the post office network is protected and allowed to build and develop. That is the big task the Minister of State has ahead of him.
The Government is committed to the retention of the post offices. That is why we have a business development group and why Mr. Bobby Kerr was appointed. However, there is no point having a group if one does not do anything with it. Mr. Kerr and all the members of the group are intent on putting proposals to Government, because it has to feed back in and those proposals must be tangible. Deputy Pringle is correct that the letters issuing from the Department of Social Protection eroded confidence in the future viability of post offices and created difficulties, and we need to be united. It needs to be a Government approach. The Government commitment is there and it is about following through on the commitment. That can only be done by having proposals, listing them and stating where we will follow through.
That is also subject to procurement. Government cannot provide all these services merely by stating it is providing them. There are difficulties, and the House will be aware of the difficulties that arose with a certain service that is being rolled out at present.
94. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he is confident that Ireland will reach its 16% target for renewable energy by 2020; the measures that are being taken by his Department to ensure this target will be met; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31763/15]
Is the Minister of State confident that Ireland will reach its 16% target for renewable energy by 2020 and will he outline the measures that are being taken by the Department to ensure the target will be met?
The 2009 EU renewable energy directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of our energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heating and 10% of transport power from renewable sources. Provisional figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, for 2014 show that 8.6% of Ireland's overall energy requirement was met by renewable energy. More specifically, the SEAI has calculated that 22.6% of electricity, 6.7% of heat and 5.2% of transport were met from renewable sources. While the progress to date is encouraging, significant challenges remain, especially in the heat and transport sectors. Meeting our renewable electricity targets will require the delivery of critical grid infrastructure and the construction of additional renewable electricity generation capacity.
Regarding renewable electricity, the Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff, REFIT, schemes underpin the development of a range of technologies, including hydro, biomass combustion, biomass combined heat and power, landfill gas and onshore wind. These schemes will be closed to new applications at the end of this year. In terms of renewable heat, in addition to existing measures such as Part L of the building regulations, the 2014 draft bioenergy plan recommended the introduction of a renewable heat incentive for larger heat users to change to heating solutions that produce heat from renewable sources.
On 31 July, the Department launched two separate consultations on new support schemes, one for renewable electricity and one for a proposed renewable heat incentive. While the initial phase of both consultations closed on 18 September 2015, there will be two further opportunities to contribute at key stages in the design of any new scheme. Subject to Government approval and State aid clearance from the European Commission, the new schemes will become available in 2016.
As regards renewable transport, Ireland aims to meet its target mainly through the use of sustainable biofuels. Increasing usage of electric vehicles will also make a contribution. Further increases to the obligation rate in the biofuels obligation scheme will be required in the context of achieving our 2020 target, and the Minister intends to initiate a consultation on this over the coming weeks.
I note that in 1990 we were 98% dependent on imported fossil fuels and, in 2013, we were still importing 90% of our energy needs. Hydro power counts for only 0.5% of our energy and other renewables 6%. Even though there is an increase in gas power, which generates lower emissions, nevertheless it is still a fossil fuel.
There are reports that we will not achieve the 2020 targets, and yet the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland report tells us that clean renewable energy has saved Ireland €1 billion in fossil fuel imports. The point I would make is we cannot afford to miss the 2020 targets because we will face significant fines if we do.
My question is about the new technologies, such as offshore wind energy. Does the Minister of State accept that offshore wind energy can deliver significant amounts of the renewable energy shortfall for Ireland?
The Deputy is correct in her observation about our reliance on fossil fuels and the statistics back up that observation. We import coal from Poland. We import coal on ships from Colombia. That is the reality of the world we live in.
With the price of oil being so low at present, the consumer-led consumption of that product from an economic point of view is great in that it is cheaper for consumers, but at the same time we still must keep the focus on renewables. That is why we must be as proactive as ever, through the university sector, in the progression of offshore wind, hydro and tidal wave. While that research and development is going on within the universities and they work closely with industry, we must up the ante. I note one particular submission to the White Paper is looking at floating turbines off the west coast. We must be ambitious.
A big focus of this House over the past four and half years has been on the economy and trying to get us out of the mess we were in. We must look at new technologies, how quickly technology is changing, and be ambitious and creative around that engagement between the university sector and industry. Government must support that in whatever way possible.
The word is "urgency", and the other important word is "creativity". If we can bring the two together, then I think we might see some progress. According to new figures published, we are more reliant on imported energy than almost every other country in the European Union. Among the new technologies is wave technology, and wastewater is also a resource.
I accept that wind technology and wind farms are controversial. In that regard, I will go back to my favourite island, which, in 1986, had a pilot project using wind turbines with a German firm because both the ESB and the powers that be did not want to know. The project, which went on for ten years, produced wind energy which they sold in to the national grid as well. It cut down diesel consumption, but then the ESB came along with the underground cable. It is an example of where a new technology was community driven. It was community led and it was very much a community approach. There is a need to be more creative when it comes to those issues.
I agree with the Deputy's last point about urgency and creativity.
We must be bold at a European level, and while we were unsuccessful in the bilateral between the UK and Ireland, France is also an option in terms of linking into the European grid. If we can provide offshore floating wind turbines, as an example, we should be examining and harnessing that potential. My colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, is in fisheries, and there are proposals around Ireland's ocean wealth. Within that there is the ongoing research, urgency and creativity around what we can use off our west coast, and off our east coast, for that matter.
95. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views that with Ireland's high level of dependency on energy imports, in excess of 90%, this country is in a precarious position and vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts due to its high reliance on imports of fossil fuels; his further views that there is a need to be more self-reliant as is the case with other European Union countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31764/15]
My question is to ask the Minister of State his views on Ireland's high level of dependency on energy imports, in excess of 90%. We are in a precarious position and are very vulnerable to geopolitical conflicts due to this high reliance on the import of fossil fuels. I ask the Minister of State to examine our need to be more self-reliant, as is the case with other European Union countries.
We dovetailed into this question in the previous one.
Two creative minds are a dangerous thing in the House. I thank the Deputy for the question. The overarching objective of the Government's energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. A well-balanced fuel mix that provides reliable energy, minimises costs and protects against supply disruptions and price volatility is essential to Irish consumers. While fossil fuels will remain part of the energy mix as we transit to a largely decarbonised energy system by 2050, significant progress is being made in increasing the share of renewables in the mix. Provisional figures provided by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, for 2014 indicate that energy import dependency fell to 85% in 2014. This was driven by lower demand for coal, oil and gas coupled with increased indigenous production of energy. The bulk of the increase in indigenous energy was from renewable sources and the remainder from peat.
In summer 2014, the European Commission, under the European energy security strategy, carried out stress tests in the event of a Russia-Ukraine gas disruption. This stress test was co-ordinated for Ireland by the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER. The results showed that Ireland was likely to be one of the countries that would be least likely to be adversely affected. The results also showed that, in the event of such a disruption, gas prices would be likely to increase. The European energy security strategy also proposes to increase energy production in the EU and to diversify supplier countries and routes. Energy security is a key pillar of the European Commission's recently published European energy union strategy, which Ireland strongly supports.
In Ireland we have a policy framework that is incentivising both an increase in indigenous renewable energy and the exploration and production of indigenous non-renewable fuel sources. Both of these energy sources contribute to reducing import dependency. Meeting our renewable electricity targets will require the delivery of critical grid infrastructure and the construction of additional renewable electricity generation capacity.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
There are a number of other important measures which also enhance our energy security such as EU funding for infrastructure, EU legislation that promotes co-operation on energy security, energy demand reduction measures, good emergency planning and oil storage reserves.
There is no doubt that we have a very high dependency on imported fossil fuels and I saw a figure of €6.5 billion that we are spending on it. We are very vulnerable and are at the mercy of international markets and prices. We saw what happened to Ukraine with its reliance on natural gas from Russia. Over the weekend I read a story about a green plan by firefighters at the fire station in Kilbarrack who are using old batteries. The green plan was applied to every station in Dublin and has generated €7.5 million in public sector savings. Dublin Fire Brigade has cut its energy consumption by 44%. There is the creativity coming in. We should take those examples and see them as urgent, and examine making more carbon-neutral workplaces. We are very energy inefficient in this country.
Ireland is not in a position to solve all our energy issues in isolation and we have no intention of doing so. We are part of the European Union, a collective grouping of countries with the same sense of responsibility. Whether it is EU funding for infrastructure or EU legislation that promotes co-operation on energy security or energy demand reduction measures, we must work together. It is critical that we continue that co-operation and we cannot be exposed. Although I am very conscious that we are an island, we are also connected in other ways, be it at European Commission or European Parliament level. My colleagues in the European Parliament are very focused on energy security issues. There is an electorate in this country that is very genuine, sincere and passionate about climate change and, politically, we must tap into that new energy - pardon the pun - and vibrancy in a young, smart, intelligent electorate that wants to contribute to meeting the challenge.
I was struck by the fact that three years ago Denmark was able to export energy after securing all its own needs. I want to put the issue in the broader context of climate change. We are moving into sustainable development goals and Ireland has been playing a very strong role at EU and UN level. However, we are giving with one hand - and we have a very strong reputation regarding development aid - but taking with the other unless we address the climate change issues and tackle our emissions. As well as our own energy needs, there is the broader picture for our planet. One of the new sustainable development goals, which replace the millennium development goals, is about seriously tackling climate change. We cannot be hypocritical about this, giving all this development aid - and we have a high reputation there - and taking on the other hand because we are not supporting measures to combat climate change.
I can blame myself for introducing climate change into the question. The Deputy is right. It is important and it is a wider context within the climate change Bill, which will be discussed in this House and the Seanad. There must be an integrated departmental approach. I recently met a group in Letterkenny regarding climate change and energy security. As legislators, we are faced with difficult decisions. We must use our place at a global level, and Ireland can do it, as the Deputy correctly pointed out, at a UN and European level. We are doing it, and we must use our strong voice in these different corridors to push for an overall global, European approach to these very challenging issues.
96. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the projected cost to the Exchequer if the State is to build a broadband network in areas not reached by commercial operators. [31748/15]
Given that we are running out of time, I will cut to the chase. The questions refers to the roll-out of broadband to areas which are not commercially viable for the commercial operators. Do we know how much it will cost and will ring-fenced funding will be made available to ensure the more remote areas will have broadband services? Do we have an idea as to what roll-out period will be involved? Is it the Minister's intention that the network infrastructure will be in public or private ownership?
The Deputy has broadened his question. I will take the broader aspects and then read into the record. We are not putting the costs down in this phase of the conversation. As the Deputy knows, it will go to a public procurement process. There will be money available for this Government intervention. The Department would not have spent time contacting the European Commission to ensure all the t's are crossed and the i's dotted regarding State-led intervention without having the backup, and the Government is committed to it. There is no plan yet as to which areas will be done first. While 30% of the land mass is not commercially viable, this could change over the next six months if operators decide to intervene in particular locations. If the likes of Eircom - now known as Eir - or other companies come in and propose to provide broadband to certain towns, it is important that there would be a commitment there. My officials are working very hard and very closely with the operators that announce that they will provide broadband in a particular town and there must be the question of responsibility at a private intervention level and at Government level.
I attended the launch in Sligo and I am delighted to say that in Sligo there will be 1 GBps from mid-2016.
The Minister of State will understand the concern of people who live outside the areas of population, because it would not be the first time something that was supposed to be a national development went as far as the bigger areas of population and then the money was gone. Such populations are afraid that they are going to be left in the very same state. Australia, which is a tad bigger than Ireland-----
Slightly.
-----probably had a more challenging environment in which to roll out broadband. It is informative to see how well it was handled there.
Perhaps the Deputy has extra information, anecdotal or otherwise, on the Australian experience. I do not doubt that my officials have done their research and examined the best possible solution. I know that under the SIRO solution in towns, houses are being connected in Cavan at the moment. There are plans for large towns like Castlebar, Westport and Letterkenny. The Deputy is correct when he alludes to the age-old core-periphery argument about whether services should always go into more populated areas in the first instance and what happens rural areas in such circumstances. No decision has yet been made on how this will be rolled out in the 30% of areas that are de facto rural areas. That decision will probably be made in co-operation between the Department and whoever the preferred bidder or bidders, or successful company or companies, will be. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan raised issues relating to the importance of the islands. These are big questions that keep being raised. As a Sligo man who also represents a large rural population in County Leitrim, Deputy Colreavy wants to ensure there is equity and balance. I take his points.
97. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which the number of alternative non-fossil fuel energy projects have been developed or are in course thereof, with particular reference to meeting EU and UN targets; if such projects are sufficiently advanced to address any threat of carbon penalties in the course of the next ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31754/15]
This question is similar to other questions that have been raised. It relates to the extent to which renewable and alternative energy targets can be attained within the specified time.
The 2009 EU renewable energy directive set Ireland a legally binding target of meeting 16% of its energy requirements from renewable sources by 2020. To meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of heating and 10% of transport power from renewable sources. On 31 July last, the Department launched two separate consultations on new support schemes, one for renewable electricity and one for a proposed renewable heat incentive. While the initial phase of both consultations closed on 18 September last, there will be two further opportunities to contribute to this. Ireland aims to meet its renewable transport targets mainly through the use of sustainable biofuels. Increased use of electric vehicles will also make a contribution. Further increases to the obligation rate in the biofuels obligation scheme will be required in the context of achieving our 2020 target. The Minister intends to initiate a consultation over the coming weeks. The details requested by the Deputy concerning the sources of renewable electricity generation projects that have been developed, or are in the course of being developed, are available on the EirGrid and ESB Networks websites. Greenhouse gas emissions targets are a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
Is the Minister of State reasonably satisfied regarding the attainment of the targets in relation to the combination of the various alternatives? Does he believe we are likely to remain on target? If not, what corrective measures need to be made in the interim?
It is a fair question. I am reasonably satisfied because I have met many people from the various groups that have made submissions on the White Paper. I am more than reasonably satisfied with some of the submissions that have been made. While the Government has a role to play in this, obviously the private sector will play a big role too. I am looking forward to the collation of all the submissions that have been made through the White Paper regarding the three pillars of heat, transport and energy. I think it is critical that we are serious about it. I am confident that the intricate relationship between the Government and the creative sector within business will provide the solutions. There are smart people with solutions out there and we have to respond to them.
