Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Yes, and if she does not return before the end of the meeting, we will hold it over until next week. Members might reflect on the correspondence and the minute of the Minister, which were circulated, and we will come back to them.

The next item of correspondence is R1501B from Mr. Mark Griffin, Secretary General of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, dated 10 October 2022, providing further information requested by the committee in regard to the summary report on climate action plan targets. Deputy Catherine Murphy flagged this item for discussion. I also want to raise an issue relating to the estimated cost of the climate action plan, which, according to the report produced by McKinsey & Company, is €119 billion out to 2030, much of which will come from the public purse. We looked for more information on that and what we got was a two-page summary document that gives headline figures. The question that arises for me is whether this is really the only breakdown the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has. It seems to be very scant. We are dealing with expenditure of €119 billion by 2030. If this breakdown is the basis for rolling out the climate action plan that has been adopted by the Oireachtas, I am concerned about the lack of detail and information. There is the question even of how the information has been arrived at.

The document seems very light on detail, facts and specifics, as I said, and I wonder whether we should look for more information on it. Members will see the figures on pages 1 and 2. The €119 billion estimate covers the total investment required for the next nine years across electricity, transport, built environment, industry and agriculture. It also includes investment that is redirected, including spending on electric vehicles and adaptation of internal combustion engine vehicles, as well as incremental investment in retrofits. Does anyone wish to comment on this? What we got is very light on detail.