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

I will begin with Deputy Duffy's point. Deputy Ó Broin referred to my level of understanding. I look at this in pretty straightforward terms. Embodied carbon is a large element of dealing with reducing carbon emissions, but to do this properly we must come with the metrics for it. Departmental officials are actively working on this. I have spoken to them about this in my role. Work is ongoing with the SEAI and with the Department of the environment as well. The dates I mentioned relate to when this must be brought in under the EU directives. I hope we will bring it in faster than that, but we must get a metric as to how we can do it in respect of certified material. The database is just an accounting framework. Those are the technical terms, but in layman's terms it is about how we will measure it and how we will provide local authorities, which do not have that skill set at the moment, with a framework by which they can measure it in their plans. Nevertheless, it is not a planning matter but a building control matter.

Deputy O'Callaghan spoke about sustainable development. I worked intensively with the officials on the sustainable guidelines. They deal with sustainable and brownfield sites. We are looking at addressing flood risks and considering areas such as the distance from public transport. Under the sustainable guidelines for densities, they are strongly linked to the accessibility of public transport. In summary, we take the view the Bill is about planning and is very much about sustainable locations.

Building materials are not a planning issue but a building control issue. To get to the embodied carbon issue, we must come up with a proper metric. Intensive work is ongoing at the Department with the SEAI through officials, whom I meet regularly on the issue, and with the Department of the environment. When that is arrived at, as a building control issue, this is something everyone will be able to implement through a common framework and we will have the measurement. This concerns even knocking down existing buildings and so on. Fundamentally, we do not believe the planning Bill is the place for amendments relating to the embodied carbon measurement area.

Going full circle, however, on the overall issues Deputy Duffy raised, with respect not specifically to his amendment but to the need to refer to the climate action legislation, we will look at that. An obvious case concerns development plans. We are going to look at that and come back to it on Report Stage, but this is the basis on which we cannot accept the amendment. It will still come through building controls and not through the planning Bill.