Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Whitmore. As I said, that information will be shared. Information has already been shared with the Committee of Public Accounts, as I understand, as it also requested information. The further outline breakdown and background material will be published this week.

I would like to make a point on the key question the Deputy asked regarding an unallocated element where we are waiting for further scientific knowledge and assessment, particularly of the land use sector.

The change of information was quite late in the day. As I said, it was mid-summer in the midst of us developing the sectoral emissions ceilings. It was absolutely appropriate in those circumstances not to rush through, or to try to conclude on that scientific evidence, as to the measures or the quantity of further emissions reductions or further reducing the source of emissions from the land use sector. This is something we envisaged. I will quote the programme for Government because this approach is something we thought about in advance, not just in the last few months or even the last year but two and a half to three years ago. It stated:

In setting the second carbon budget for 2026-2030, we will not yet be in a position to identify all the emerging technologies, changing scientific consensus or policies to meet our full ambition. This will require a further allocation within the overall carbon budget, subject to intense evaluation. This approach, which mirrors the Danish model, will be reflected in the Climate Action (Amendment) Bill and in future iterations of the Climate Action Plan.

It recognised that in some instances scientific or technological information evolves or may change. That is particularly the case when it comes to land use and land use emissions. Everything is measured from a 2018 period because that was the most up to date period on the formation of this Government, and everything is based on United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, reporting mechanisms. Even there the baseline understanding, from memory, was from roughly 4.8 million tonnes of land use emissions as a source. The revised information we had from the scientific community at the last minute was that it would be higher, closer to over 7 million tonnes, as I recall. The likely projected source of emissions from land use in 2030 is to be 11 million tonnes, 4 million tonnes above what had originally been projected.

It is appropriate for us to complete and to use the land use review, which we are doing and which will give us a much better understanding as to how we might address some of those, particularly in managing wetlands and the management of bogs, forestry and grasslands. In those circumstances, it was appropriate to await the final allocation or to have a category, which we set pending the completion of such a review, and then, as we committed to in the programme for Government, adjust the allocations accordingly, as soon as we have the relevant information and we are working flat out on that.

With regard to the legal advice in terms of whether there are legal questions around some of that approach, of course, the Attorney General would always be involved but that is an internal process where the Attorney General provides ongoing legal advice to the Government.

As regards ministerial accountability or the sectoral responsibilities, one of the elements we will include in the new Climate Action Plan 2023, this iterative process, which we will publish in November, will be clear key performance indicators, KPIs, that will determine how we measure and monitor ministerial progress. This committee will also have a role in that regard.