Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)

When speaking on An Agreed Programme for Government, the Taoiseach repeatedly states that if the Government had previously known what it knows now, it would have done things differently. This is particularly the case when he is obliged to answer questions on matters such as traffic congestion, problems relating to social housing, etc. Is it not the case, however, that when one is preparing such a programme, unless — as happened in Finland — a study into what might happen in the future and how to plan for this is carried out, one is merely failing to prepare and, as they say in football parlance "preparing to fail"? Is that why quite a number of matters dealt with An Agreed Programme for Government are not being implemented? I refer here to establishing a national waste management advisory board, a recycling forum and a marketing development group. We all thought these would be standard and required but they have either fallen off the agenda or the programme is not to be believed.

The agreed programme contains a commitment which states "We will implement our greenhouse gas taxation policies on a phased incremental basis". Is the programme anything more than an elaborate press release? Should we simply adopt a take it or leave it approach to it? Does the Taoiseach intend to revisit a number of the matters to which consideration has clearly not been given in order to see what can be done to take action in respect of them? I have heard that he intends to rewrite the national climate change strategy and perhaps he needs to do so. Would such a development represent a response to the Government's failure in respect of the Kyoto Protocol? Is it intended to redraw the commitment which states "Defence Policy continues to develop in the service of peace" when Ireland joins the European defence agency. We do not have to do the latter and we have not had a debate in the House on it.

Are we to take An Agreed Programme for Government seriously when it comes to obvious differences between Government action and stated policy? Is the programme worth discussing, particularly in light of the fact that it does not seem to hold much weight for the Government? Why should it, therefore, hold much weight for others?

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