Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To underline and stress what we are seeking to do here, I advise that I come from west Cork where the most beautiful beach we have is Inchydoney beach. It has a wonderful dune system, one of best on the south coast. In the past two to three years we have seen it almost completely disappear. It has eroded more in that short period than it has over the course of my lifetime. Any time there is a southerly wind and high tide the erosion worsens. That is a visual representation of climate change happening before our eyes. Also, any time there is a southerly wind and high tide, our towns are exposed to flooding. We saw what happened in Cork city and Bantry town in my constituency of west Cork has been subject severe flooding twice in the past two months, events we were told would only happen once in a lifetime. In stressing the importance of what we are trying to do here and the Bill we are introducing, we need to start fighting back. Everyone in this room knows that very well.

The witnesses we have had before the committee to speak on the Bill have repeatedly referred to the language and the need to strengthen it. We need to address that. There is no need for the witnesses to comment further on that aspect.

I would like Professor Sweeney to comment on sanctions and the fact there is a lack of them. He mentioned in his opening statement how sanctions might work and he referenced departmental budgets. I do not fully understand what he was getting at. Will he elaborate on what he means by that type of sanction?

I had a question for Dr. Jackson on the biodiversity aspect but that has been adequately answered in terms of how it can be incorporated in the Bill. I stress that we should incorporate something along the lines of what Dr. Jackson is suggesting. Professor Sweeney might answer that question. I thank both witnesses for their presentations.