Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Pre-Budget 2022 Scrutiny: Irish Fiscal Advisory Council

Photo of Patricia RyanPatricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and thank them for their time and input. I have a question for Ms Holland. Last year, I read with interest her paper on the economic implications of climate change mitigation policies. I am concerned about spending money on carbon credits. I feel that it would be better spent by putting it in the hands of homeowners and small businesses, enabling them to install renewable energy infrastructure such as solar panels or heat pumps. I feel this would drive the economy and activity, reduce carbon emissions, put money back in people's pockets and increase their disposable income. What is Ms Holland's view on this approach versus the current approach of buying carbon credits or subsidising massive wind farms which are not producing as much energy at the right time as one would expect?

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