Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

The director may have thanked the Minister but she was just being polite because she was also critical when she said we were not making headway on the environment. That is a major criticism if we have a Green Party Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. No progress has been made on climate change. Nothing in the carbon report could be pinpointed. The 1% reduction has nothing to do with the Minister. If we reduce emissions in the coming years it will be because of the recession. What is the Minister doing? When will he make sure there are extra buses on the roads? I do not refer to a sustainable transport plan but to buses on the roads.

Will the Minister consider the Labour Party suggestion to set up a national forum on climate change to drive this issue? It is not being driven and the Minister needs help from some body to get momentum. Will the Minister consider abolishing carbon offsets and using the money for buses on the roads?

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