Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I support the amendment but think Deputy Cuffe has exaggerated slightly in equating the performance of this Government with a ship of State. There is something majestic about a ship of State and this Government reminds me more of a battered, old, leaking, polluting tanker flying a flag of convenience and crewed by Ministers incapable of communicating with each other and understanding safety instructions. The tanker is skippered by a weary old sea dog who has abandoned the helm and wanders around the deck winking at the few passengers on board and waving out over the railings at every ship that passes in the night. He hopes that the old tub will find its own way to a safe harbour and that he might get a fresh ticket for a renewed voyage. It needs to be turned around all right, but with a fresh skipper and a new crew.

In this area of policy the biggest turnaround needed relates to the Government's reliance on the purchase of carbon credits. There should be an emphasis on carbon reduction and I think that is the essence of Deputy Cuffe's amendment, which the Labour Party supports. We all understand that the arrangement on the Kyoto Protocol entails a mix of emissions trading, reduction and purchase but, unfortunately, the Government has the emphasis wrong. It has adopted the attitude that we can carry on as we were with no need to reduce carbon emissions and that we will pay the bill at the end of the day.

The Government's handling of this legislation makes it clear that it intends to buy up carbon while it is cheap and bank it. The Government's approach is to buy our way out of our commitments and I think that is fundamentally flawed, irresponsible and will undermine our country's position internationally as we will have no moral authority on the issue. This is the wrong approach and for this reason I support Deputy Cuffe's amendment.

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