Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

While I am aware that this is a commitment period, its final year is now only six years' away. We have a gap of 8 million tonnes of carbon to close. We have not done very well in the past five years since the climate change strategy was published. The Minister has avoided answering the question on the worst case scenario for the obvious reason that he does not want to admit what I have alleged, just as he did not want to admit it when interviewed on radio.

Is it the case that Ireland will not meet the target of 13% by 2012? Will the Government's way out be to use taxpayers' money to allow the country to continue to pollute? Is this not the picture the Minister is painting?

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