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

On the section, I wish to raise a topic that has come up on a number of occasions in our discussions. The national climate objective talks of "a climate resilient, biodiversity-rich, environmentally-sustainable and climate-neutral economy". When it comes to developing the roadmap of action the roadmap is pretty much confined to the climate dimension of this. There has been some concern in the committee that although there is a biodiversity plan it falls outside the remit of the committee, which is one thing, but it also seems to fall outside the remit of the design of the climate plan. Equally, there is a growing interest in the concept of a circular economy, on which I know the Minister of State is working. That again raises wider issues than our own climate inventory, which is purely looked at from the point of view of production within Ireland and does not look at practices that might give rise to emissions in other countries.

For Report Stage, would the Minister of State consider whether the roadmap of actions that he will look at under this Bill should be extended to look specifically at initiatives in the area of biodiversity and the circular economy? In other words, will he look at the entire supply chain not just the elements that are produced within Ireland and so have a wider remit?

This committee, in its deliberations, have found it a bit difficult to see that biodiversity challenges are not always co-produced with initiatives that are positive from a climate point of view. Sometimes there is conflict. Most of the time they work together but not all of the time. How can a balance be struck? Should the Bill in some way recognise the wider dimensions of policies that, I think, should be included?