Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

The Taoiseach did not, however, get to grips with the essentials of the question. Why are public transport subsidies among the lowest in the European Union under this Government over the last ten years? Why are our electricity generating stations burning more peat now when alternative energy sources have been available for years and have not been sufficiently invested in by the State to replace carbon emitting generation?

Is it not extraordinary that in this country and internationally, faced with this real crisis that everyone agrees threatens ecosystems and humanity, the political establishment will establish a stock exchange in carbon emissions to move the issue into another speculators' charter, buying and selling the right to pollute? Is that not an incredible indictment of the approach of this and other Governments?

Two Ministers last week were out pretending to be champions of the taxpayer with regard to the legal costs of the planning tribunal, one of whom has responsibility for emissions.

See this speech in context