Mr. Sorley McCaughey:

Deputy Gerald Nash asked how we might respond to a situation where the Minister chose to ignore advice from the proposed climate advisory council. I do not have a problem with this because it is part of democracy. In any such circumstance the Minister will have to explain to the Houses of the Oireachtas why the decision was taken to take a different path. The council would be fulfilling its function and the Minister would be responding accordingly, as is his or her mandate. I do not foresee an issue in that regard.

The Deputy's question about the positives in the Bill, as proposed, is a good one. A criticism that could be levelled at NGOs is that we are always pointing to the weaknesses rather than the strengths of Government efforts. I suppose it is our job to do so. The process which led to the development of the heads of the Bill has been useful because it is has been participatory. It is a template that should perhaps be repeated in other areas. We now have a statement of intent from the Government, as reflected in the Title in the Bill. That in itself is something because it places efforts in this area within a legal framework. It will be of use to citizens in the years to come. What is most important is the big picture. There are elements of the proposed expert advisory board, as it is described, which are positive. We believe it does not go far enough, but it is a broadly positive proposal.