Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will finish shortly. The annual transition statement shall comprise: a statement by myself as Minister providing an overview of mitigation and adaptation policy measures that have been adopted by the State; a statement by relevant Ministers detailing the sectoral mitigation policy measures for which they are responsible and an assessment of their effectiveness; and a statement by relevant Ministers detailing the sectoral adaptation policy measures for which they are responsible and an assessment of their effectiveness.

I believe the Bill strikes the right balance between ambition and, most importantly, realism in terms of the institutional framework necessary to develop, approve and implement robust mitigation and adaptation policy measures. My vision of Ireland is for a competitive, socially focused economy built on sustainability. This Bill will put in place the framework from a climate change perspective to ensure that Ireland is well placed to deliver on that vision. Furthermore, it is important to note that, via the establishment of an annual transition statement to Dáil Éireann, relevant Ministers will be made accountable for the mitigation and adaptation policy measures for which they are responsible, and their implementation. This is an important reporting mechanism to ensure that our necessary mitigation and adaptation measures remain on course.

Before I conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to again acknowledge the substantial work done by the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht on the outline heads of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill and to note with particular appreciation the work of every member of the joint committee, which was chaired by my colleague Deputy Michael McCarthy. The input from the committee, by way of the joint committee's report, was another important milestone in shaping the debate on this legislation, and it helped inform, in a genuine and meaningful fashion, the further development of the heads of the Bill. It is obvious that the report was given genuine and detailed consideration, with several of the joint committee's proposals being accepted in full and unequivocally. I am satisfied that it has promoted a better and more inclusive Bill than would otherwise be the case. I genuinely thank the committee for its work on that.

The cause of, and the case for action in response to, climate change is now unanswerable. We must deal with it. Despite this, no specific climate change legislation has yet been enacted in this country. This Government made a commitment to bring in such legislation during its term in office and we are now fulfilling that commitment. Previous Administrations made similar commitments but they were not honoured. This is a substantial and comprehensive Bill that will change the way in which we deal with the very real issue of climate change. I ask the House to support its implementation.

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