Mr. Jim Dullaghan:

The Senator referred to the conference that was held in May 2017. There were some specific proposals in that conference which go some way towards addressing some of her questions. One was the establishment of a tri-party body comprising the trade unions, employers and the Government to ensure the transition. That was one type of body for action at central level. There was also the question of establishing the just transition fund, which is happening at European level as well, and what that means at national level. Importantly, there is the study of the impact that meeting our goals in the Paris Agreement will have on communities and industry, and legislation backing that up in terms of the principles of the just transition. The committee has been liaising with the Department in terms of research and trying to do research studies but it has not advanced. That is part of the problem. We all recognise that it is a big problem and it has a huge impact. The things we will have to roll out are not going to happen in a piecemeal way. A programmed approach is required for this. This is similar to rural electrification in the past. It must be led by the State and its agencies. That is the point.