Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 15:

In page 6, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following:“(e) specify the projected total national emissions for the period of the plan after all the policy measures specified in the plan.”.

The amendment is similar to the previous motion brought forward by Deputy Michael Colreavy. It seeks the setting of targets, but we are not seeking to have specific targets included in the legislation today. The Minister will bring forward and put in place the mitigation plan which will specify the various measures the Government will take and the various sectoral measures it will seek to implement. We are asking that specific targets and projected savings for each of the objectives set be stipulated, with the plan.

The Government wants to draft a plan and outline all of the various measures, due to the overall objective of reducing emissions, without specifying what it expects each measure will achieve and without setting targets. Such an omission defies the logic of having a plan and clearly outlining why each measure is in the plan in the first place. I do not see the reason the Minister has adopted such a position. We want to put in place an overall plan which is clear about what can be achieved but also one that can be measured. The UK Government has set specific targets on a five year basis. The Minister should adopt the same approach and I urge him to accept the amendment.