Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----so it was at least a year later. Yes, stakeholder consultation seemed to be involved. I know from experience that the drafting of statutory instruments can get into many delays. This does not necessarily reflect a lack of ability in Departments, but there tends to be a bit of a logjam in draftsmen's offices, which has dogged every Government of which I have ever been a party, and I am sure the same is the case with Deputy Ryan.

To respond to the Deputy's wider question, I am really bottoming out the issues regarding our responsibilities. We have very significant co-ordinating responsibilities, and the Deputy is aware of my belief that it is really important for Departments that have a co-ordinating role to bite to a degree with the President's teeth. It is really important I get a cross-Government commitment, overseen from the Taoiseach's office, to have the momentum to deliver. I am not saying we need a whole army of people but we need a willingness on the part of decision-makers elsewhere to get on board with what we are trying to achieve and our obligations and ambitions. I think the Deputy himself has often articulated that sectors will not have a future unless it is designed to be robust in a decarbonised world.

Any Department will always welcome more resources in various policy areas, but we are working very hard to try to produce a coherent plan in the first quarter of this year that will embrace all areas. Then we will work hard to drive other Departments to implement their share and to see that we implement ours. I do not think I can say I have a case for more resources and go knocking on Deputy Donohoe's or anyone else's door at this stage. We must try to make the thing work. If at the end of 12 months the committee calls me back here and some of the obstacles that have delayed us are resources, I will certainly look at those.