Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill 2016: Discussion

4:00 pm

Photo of Michael McGrathMichael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The delegates have acknowledged that the direct practical impact is modest, but this says a lot about our priorities and leadership and shaping public opinion. Is there more we could and should be doing in the public sector and across the full footprint of the public service, including in regard to how public transport companies, for example, use fuel? Could this template be used and applied in a wider context across the public service to embolden the overall statement that will be made by the passage of this Bill in support of reducing our carbon footprint and public sector dependency on fossil fuels and to invest in more renewable forms of energy? How could we use this legislation as leverage to do more across the full breath of the public sector?