Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Following on the same theme, we are debating how the question of climate change, its effects and what we do about it is covered. There has been reference to legislative action and what happens here. I held this brief in the previous Dáil as Sinn Féin spokesperson on the environment. I was part of the group that produced the committee report for the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 in 2013 and 2014. I acknowledge that this subject was not as big at that time. However, other committee members and I were trying to get it covered. It needed more attention. Deputy Smith mentioned one Bill. I have introduced numerous Bills here that never saw the light of day on any channel, including RTÉ. I refer to the Microgeneration Support Scheme Bill 2017, which is mainstream stuff in Germany and right across Europe. I introduced the Waste Reduction (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017. I brought forward a policy for power in Ireland up to 2030 so that we can deal with the effects and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. That is where the debate needs to move to. We can all say that what is happening is terrible. We need to move the discussion on. We have identified a problem. What are we going to do about it? I notice that other Bills belonging to other people do get coverage.

However, a number of the environmental Bills that I introduced did not see the light of day in the mainstream print or electronic media. The witnesses might respond to that point, given that they have said that RTÉ's coverage depends on legislative action, what is happening in the Oireachtas and what the political parties are doing. We can account for ourselves in this regard and have done a substantial amount of work that has never been covered by anyone regardless of our significant efforts.

I only saw parts of the waste programme because I arrived in late before being called out again. It was good and I compliment RTÉ on broadcasting it. Doing so was a good idea, as people could relate to what they were doing themselves. Doing the same in this context would be useful. Waste is adding to greenhouse gas emissions, but our lifestyles mean we produce 60% to 70% more greenhouse gas emissions than the average European, so a similar highlighting of certain practices, for example, long commutes in Dublin, and what can be done about them would be good. Does RTÉ have plans in this regard?

My final question is on advertising. Half of RTÉ's revenue comes from the licence fee, and rightly so, but it depends a great deal on commercial revenue. Companies involved in practices and industries that are anything but climate friendly supply it with advertising material to broadcast. From an ethical point of view, has RTÉ a policy on this? There could be a conflict.

Met Éireann's communication of weather warnings is good and its forecasting has improved in recent years. We are on the edge of the north Atlantic, which makes forecasting difficult. I have often watched Ms Cusack trying to give people an honest picture. I always find the forecast good. People say it is not accurate, but they are not listening to it properly. If they listened to the full forecast, they would find it to be accurate, particularly for those who work outdoors.

Met Éireann has issued warnings about extreme weather events only for those events not to affect particular locations. Just before Christmas, Dublin traders complained that because Met Éireann had issued a red or orange alert that day and told people not to go outdoors, the shops were empty. Forecasting can be difficult, but is there a need for further refinement on a regional basis? Met Éireann makes an effort to say where, for example, heavy rain, flooding or extreme winds are likely, but could it try to nuance its orange and red warnings?

Regarding attribution, a memo was cited. I understand that Met Éireann cannot say that an event was caused by global warming. There are few certainties in reading the science involved, given that weather changes, but in terms of developing Met Éireann's policy on what it communicates to the public, is it shifting in the direction of telling them that, for example, the four serious weather events in Ireland in the past 12 months were the effects of global warming? I would appreciate brief answers to these questions.