Mr. Niall McLoughlin:

I cannot offer anything further on the energy charter treaty because I do not want to speak for energy colleagues, other than to say we await the outcome of the final stages of the process. At that point, it will be reviewed. Regarding our membership of Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance, there are any number of initiatives that ministers are invited to sign up to in the context of COP. The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance was one such initiative led by Denmark and Costa Rica last year. With a lot of the initiatives, the lack of follow-through can be stark and it speaks to the need to create a programme for what initiatives we lend our weight to. The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance has stood out in the context of its ongoing engagement with the founding members and with the friends of the alliance There have been nearly monthly meetings between members and the secretariat, which was also established during the course of the year. At this year's COP, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance will have a very visible presence on the ground. There is a sustained outreach programme to other parties and countries that may wish to receive encouragement in this space, whether through becoming a member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance or through practical measures. The organisation can contribute to the discussions that may be happening in those countries about their energy profile and whether they will consider banning or introducing limitations on gas and oil exploration.

The make-up of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance in the context of COP27 is slightly difficult because the Danish elections are ongoing. That may have effects for the Danish Ministry. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has made the secretariat aware that he is available to support the organisation and to work with potential members as well as new members, which will be unveiled in the context of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance events at COP27. We look forward to that. The alliance was also very present at the recent meeting of the UN General Assembly. It issued a measured and powerful statement about the war in Ukraine, acknowledging the difficulties governments are in at the moment in using short-term solutions. It also re-emphasised the point that long-term decisions such as recommencing drilling or issuing new licences must be paused and considered in the context of where we need to be going forward with respect to the energy profiles of various other countries. I am looking forward to working with the organisation again this year.