Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On that last point, section 6D was comprehensively revised following pre-legislative scrutiny. That pre-legislative scrutiny stage was very useful. It certainly was not, as Deputy Naughten would say, a box-ticking exercise. It actually strengthened the legislation a lot. I am grateful to all the Deputies for their contributions in that regard.

I would like to come back to Deputy Naughten's suggestion that when the carbon budget is adopted by the Dáil, that will be it and Deputies will never get to speak again. In fact, three carbon budgets will be adopted. Five years later, there will be another chance to look at the carbon budgets and decide where they go from there. Deputy Naughten also stated that if the carbon budget is rejected by the Dáil the Minister can then just go off and make up any carbon budget he or she wants. Ministers are specifically not empowered to do that. The law states they can only make a carbon budget that complies with all the international obligations, the 51% target and all the other categories of requirements in the Bill. The Minister is absolutely not allowed to go off and make a carbon budget that has a terrible level of ambition or is unfair. That is my response and it is why we will not accept this amendment.