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

First, I would like to ask Dr. Moore to go back to the issue of what should be in legislation with regard to the just transition and what should be left to institutional development. The Scottish Act has sought to set out some principles. Is that what Dr. Moore would advocate for us?

My next question is on the submission from Sharon Finegan. The question I would ask about the present Bill is whether the reliance on one Minister, namely, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, to develop the sectoral divide-up is suitable. Is that realistic? It contrasts with the portfolio approach or a whole-of-government approach that she seems to be indicating in her evaluation of the difficulty that has been there to date. Would a portfolio approach be more effective? In an allied question, what leverage does the Department of the Taoiseach ultimately have? One of the main concerns of the committee is that there will be backsliding. Should we institutionalise some degree of oversight from the centre?

My next question is to Professor Anderson. We are hearing two very different views, in a way. The issue of consultation and just transition participation involves a slow process. In contrast, Professor Anderson is saying we need sweep aside the short-term sensibilities of politics and get this done. This is a real dilemma for implementation. I am interested in hearing from Professor Anderson on what legal framework he believes is optimal and would be consistent with democratic politics. We are not going to turn into some despotic regime. What would the legal framework look like?