Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the witnesses for their opening statements. Maybe this is not a question for them but I want to ask about the delay. Have they any sense of what it relates to? Is it capacity or other priorities or focuses? There is obviously a lot going on within the Department. Is there an efficiency in the preparation of these two submissions or documents? The witnesses may have insights on that. It is something we can raise with the Minister as well.

As regards my main question, I refer to what we hear back from the Government. I have the comfort of being in opposition, where we look for pathways, plans and supports.

They will point to the lack of information, particularly with regard to, for example, the land-use strategy or the unallocated savings in the climate action plan and the carbon budgets. Is that reasonable from Government? Is there more it can do in the meantime? What is the witnesses’ sense of that landscape, if you like?