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

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. Most members will agree that the Act, as it stands, relies heavily on political accountability, including the power of the Oireachtas committees and that of accountability through these Houses. I can certainly see the logic of some of the legal changes that the witnesses have proposed, for example, to strengthen the wording to achieve due account, to take steps to bring within budget, and as Mr. Church said, to bake in opportunities to adapt.

I am interested on hearing the views of the witnesses on a number of issues. When they consider litigation and sanctions, how do they see them bearing on many groups in society who have to make massive changes here? In Ireland, as in other jurisdictions, there are people who oppose carbon tax, people who want to protect herd size, and people who do not want to see car sales become zero-carbon in 2030, and so on. If annual budgets are locked in, will we effectively have litigation every other year on material deviation from some of these targets? Some people argue that we should deliver 7% per annum, every year, regardless. That is not practical, given the starting point. I am interested in the scope of the litigation that the witnesses see being created by the vehicle.