Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

The new National Climate Change Strategy 2007-2012 is putting in place a framework for all Government Departments and agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Chapter 9 of the strategy deals with that issue. The strategy places a requirement on each public sector body to adopt greenhouse gas reduction targets and to measure and report progress in achieving these targets in their annual reports. I do not chase these agencies every week or every month. Each agency's annual report must contain a separate section dealing with greenhouse gas reduction and the measures it is taking or will take to reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the strategy requires the offsetting of carbon emissions resulting from all air travel on Government business, including flights by Ministers and civil servants, from the beginning of the Kyoto commitment period in January 2008. Practical arrangements will be put in place to enable each Department to compute annually the emissions associated with its air travel and to make a contribution to an appropriate fund to secure verified emission reductions of an equivalent amount. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government calculated that its 2006 air travel would have given rise to a contribution in the general order of €5,000 if such a scheme were already in place. We are addressing this issue in practical ways.

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