Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is being highly evasive on this issue. This time last year, he promised the Bill would be ready before the summer. The summer came and went and we did not see it. He then published a roadmap and promised the legislation, which is in the programme for Government, would be ready by Christmas. This Bill was a Fine Gael priority in opposition and is also a priority for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney. The effects of climate change are no longer disputed. It had a serious impact on farm incomes last year when weather conditions caused farm incomes in some areas to fall by up to 20%.

Ireland holds the Presidency of the European Council and the Minister noted that we must meet our EU commitments on climate change. Last Thursday, I published a climate change Bill very similar to one to which the Minister put his name previously. The Government repeatedly challenges the Opposition to produce solutions. Sinn Féin has produced a solution to this issue and we ask the Minister to examine it. Will the legislation the Minister proposes to introduce include legally binding five year targets? Will it provide for carbon budgets to ensure the Government does not kick the can down the road, as previous Governments did, and leave a future Government to face a carbon cliff at some point? I do not want the Minister to continue this practice of putting off dealing with climate change. Will the legislation provide for clear, science based targets for 2050? Will an independent advisory commission be established to advise the Minister and Taoiseach on these matters? Will the legislation provide for accountability to the Dáil? Those are the questions I want the Minister to answer.

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