Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before we conclude I thank the witnesses for coming in at very short notice. Obviously, we as public representatives have a specific role in the subsidiarity. So much has happened on climate change at a national level over the recent past. We have had the climate change Bill and the climate action plan, and climate budgets will be coming out in the next week. Yet there is very little detail for us to consider. The Committee on Environment and Climate Action had the same concerns.

Just transition is a key feature of our model and something I support because it gives flexibility within the model. Are there any implications in any of these COMs here in terms of carbon tax? I saw in one of the COMs in the other committee that it was quite directly related. For example, is the ETS a form of carbon tax? It is a hard question but, once again, it is about filtering it down to the ordinary person. We are introducing a carbon tax, which is agreed, but that money is being spent to ensure we are able in some way to bring a just transition. For me, in layman's terms, it is about the groups Senator Horkan made reference to, those who are disproportionately impacted, the less well off, agriculture, and other groups. It is a direct question. Do any of these COMs have implications for carbon tax?