Mr. David Joyce:

I was going to specifically focus on some of the improvements, which are outlined in the annexe to the climate action plan. As Mr. Doyle mentioned, the intention to form a just transition commission is very welcome but the approval of a general scheme of legislation to establish it in the final quarter of this year means that it will not be in place until, at best, the middle of 2023. Given the urgency of the change and the challenges we face, that is unacceptable. We should try to expedite it as soon as possible. It could be formulated in advance of being put on a statutory footing. If we wanted to speed that along, a Bill introduced by Deputy Whitmore is in the system and is very much based on work done by the Minister, Deputy Ryan, on just transition and a sort of oversight function for bringing together workers, unions, employers and government in social dialogue to drive those plans.

On the broader social dialogue question, we welcome the reference to the national climate stakeholder forum. The annexe signals that such a forum is to be held in the first quarter of this year, which is very welcome. However, we do not know if it will be a one-off or will become a regular event. Will there be an opportunity for stakeholders to shape that forum?

It would be good for this committee to focus on some of those issues and make concrete recommendations to try to get them over the line as quickly as possible.