Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I am coming to that and will deal with it now. Last week, at the Council of Environment Ministers, I indicated that we would actively support the 20% target. In fact, I had indicated thus at the Nairobi conference, as the Deputy knows. I also indicated that we would actively support Europe's target of minus 30%, which should be the post-Kyoto target for the world. I accept the European Union's view that Europe itself cannot correct this issue. That is why we supported the 30% figure, which is the way we should go, as well as the 20% figure. I respectfully inform the Deputy that his calculation is incorrect. As he said, we are currently 24.5% or 25% above 1990 levels. It is a fact that the Irish economy has grown by 150%, although Deputy Boyle likes to dismiss this reality.

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