Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I note the Taoiseach, if I understood him correctly in the Dáil yesterday, said that yesterday's Cabinet meeting focused on climate change. I would love to have been a fly on the wall as the Taoiseach turned to his colleagues and said: "Lads, what has gone wrong? What is happening?" The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government would no doubt have replied: "Well, Taoiseach, the problem is we have an economy that is growing too quickly and we do not have nuclear power. That is why I am failing to do my job." Perhaps the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, taking George Bush's line, said: "Whatever you do, Taoiseach, do not do anything. The markets will sort this out." The Taoiseach might have looked to his Minister for Transport, Deputy Cullen, but no doubt he was out in his little hard hat, opening a road somewhere, and was not able to proffer a response. I can imagine the Taoiseach pulling his hair out and turning at last to his stalwart Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, and asking him what to do about climate change. I imagine the Minister for Finance's reply was "What is climate change?" because nothing in his budget, his Finance Bill or his national development plan prepared us for the future which is with us now.

The science is certain. The European Union has told us the new targets we need to abide by — either a 20% or 30% cut by 2020. As we will be 30% above the limits by 2010, we will have to cut our emissions by at least 40% in ten years or try the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government's approach and borrow our way out, which would cost us a prohibitive amount.

The remarkable aspect of the Minister for Finance's budget and this Bill is that there is a suggestion that we will simply think about changing VRT to take emissions into account, but we will do it after the election, next year, maybe. The cars purchased now will be on the road in 2020 when we will have to cut our emissions by close to 40% to be part of the international solution to this huge problem. I find this incredible.

It is unbelievable a Government can show so little foresight or interest in the big global issue of the day. It is bad for the economy. The level of Government inaction is putting us in a position where we will have to pay dearly, and we will not create the jobs we could otherwise create if we began to take this seriously. It is a major disappointment. The most remarkable aspect is that the Government is dressing its meagre efforts in a green label but it is doing nothing and is nowhere near meeting the challenge we need to meet.

I attended a debate on climate change in a university in the city earlier today. One of the questions I was asked was why the issue was not catching people's imagination. The common response was that the problem in this city is that people spend so much time trying to get the career and raise the income necessary to be able to afford to pay for a house, they are impeded from any form of social action, involvement or engagement. The Minister for Finance has failed to understand the urgency of that problem and has failed to put in place measures that might improve the situation.

For four years the Green Party has suggested a reduction in stamp duty for those who are trading down from a large property to a smaller property on the basis it brings major planning, environmental and economic benefits. If there is an incentive for the owners of large houses, perhaps with four or five bedrooms not being used, to trade down, those houses then become available for younger families trading up. Such houses are close to schools, shops and bus routes, and people living in them would take shorter journeys and reduce their emissions while having a better quality of life. However, there is nothing from the Government to encourage such co-ordinated, joined-up thinking and development.

It is interesting to listen to the Deputies opposite — I presume I would say the same in their position. This country is immeasurably better than it was 20 years ago, which we should all recognise. We should not be so stupid as not to understand that full employment has been a major boon. We should take pride in the success and achievements of our country. However, those in Government should also keep an eye to the future and not be so proud of our achievements and our momentary success not to understand what we need to do to guarantee that success into the future. It is that lack of forward thinking in the Finance Bill and the Government in general which I find particularly disappointing.

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