Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

Deputy Sargent is correct in saying the national climate change strategy is being reviewed. I raised this issue before in the context of the plan for some environmental groups to form part of one of the pillars of social partnership. I have no difficulty with that. The response of the environmental groups in question was that the sustainable development group, to which many of these groups belonged, was influencing policy, that they had their own mechanism of dealing with that and that environmental issues tended to be discussed to a greater extent in it rather than in the quarterly meetings of social partnership. The Government made a decision with regard to carbon tax, of which Deputy Sargent is aware. I understand the sustainable development group discusses issues like the carbon tax and engages with the relevant environmentalist NGOs on them.

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