Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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In dealing with the different points that have been made, it is worth emphasising again that all the revenue being raised via carbon tax is being recycled to invest in the things that can help communities reduce the need they have for carbon. For example, out of the €238 million that is now being raised in additional carbon taxes as a result of the changes made in this year's budget and in last year's, €100 million is being invested in residential and community energy efficiency projects, €48 million is being used to deal with the equity issues which do exist to ensure lower-income citizens are shielded from the effects of increases in carbon taxes, €20 million is being invested in environmental programmes in the area of agriculture and €70 million is being invested in various schemes that can make a difference to communities all over our country. Thus, we are using the revenue from higher carbon taxes in exactly the way recommended by those who advocate increases in carbon pricing as a way of credibly responding to the climate crisis that is in front of us and that could intensify further.

Deputy Mairéad Farrell put a specific question to me about why we are not making a commitment to the indexation of social welfare increases in the forthcoming Social Welfare Bill. That is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, but under the last two changes we have made in carbon taxing, we have made alterations to social welfare rates in order to ensure that those who are most affected by increased carbon taxes are protected. This could be a matter that the Minister for Social Protection may want to consider but I imagine she would also want to have flexibility in case, for example, new payments are needed which do not currently exist and which are not referenced in social welfare legislation. It is a very clear programme for Government commitment that as we make these changes in carbon taxes we will ensure those most affected by it get further protection in the form of changes to social protection payments. We demonstrated that in the two most recent budgets.

As I understand it, Deputy Denis Naughten is making the case that instead of making gradual moves, we should make a smaller set of bigger moves.