Ms Sin?ad Loughran:

In terms of the climate aspect of the Bill, it definitely needs to be a lot stronger. I am not sure if Deputy Ó Broin was present when Deputy O'Callaghan raised earlier a question about whether we need to call out specifically certain components such as carbon-rich habitats in the legislation. We are in a climate emergency, so by all means we must be specifying those things that we know can deliver real climate solutions for us. It is not just the carbon-rich habitats, it is all the species within the marine environment as well that can deliver on that. Those species have an inherent right to exist and to thrive within the marine environment as it is, but they can deliver real climate benefits. If the committee is happy, we can send on more information on those kinds of items as well. Carbon-rich habitats and all of those things we know can deliver real climate benefits need to be called out. It is not even in question considering the emergency we are in.