Ms Marie Donnelly:

The rationale for the way we did the budget was driven by the extensive analysis, modelling and scenarios that we looked at and by the real need to mobilise investment now in order to get the benefit in the second period. When we did our analysis, we did not have sectoral ceilings. We did not even have sectoral ranges. It was not for us to do the sectoral ranges. That will ultimately be a decision for the Government. Whether it decides that sectors overlap and achieve 110% at the high end and 90% at the low end is obviously a Government decision.

We looked at the kinds of policies that could be adopted, including, for example, some of the core measures that are in the climate action plan 2021. The Department shared some of that information with us. We looked at it. We discussed the issues around it. It was not for the council to say if something was a good idea or a bad idea, or if this would work and that would not. The key single message from the analysis we did is that there is a sense of urgency and that we pretty much know what needs to be done but that we need to do it now.

We will publish our annual review tomorrow, which will look at Deputy Bruton's climate action plan 2019. There are actions in that which still have not been achieved or have been delayed. The Deputy asked what the risk is. There is always a risk. The advantage of the legislation adopted in July is that it states we need a budget, sectoral targets, a climate action plan that states what we will do, and that the Climate Change Advisory Council needs to monitor whether we are delivering on the policy. That is the key issue. When the Deputy refers to risk, that is where the risk issue is dealt with. What we see as being our job going forward is to say, in the context of sectoral targets, what the measures are and to ask if the measures are happening on time. If they are happening on time, the second question to ask is if the measures are delivering enough, and maybe they need to be strengthened. The first requirement is to deliver the measure on time. That is the serious challenge we must look at in terms of the initiatives and delivering on these numbers. We can do it if we deliver on time. Unfortunately, we have seen again and again that deadlines have been missed or have slipped and it has delayed things. That is the risk management we see ourselves having to play an important role in going forward.