Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Along with the Minister of State, Deputy Ann Phelan, we have been around the houses on this a few times.

These amendments seek to shorten the timeframe for the production of the first national mitigation plan from 24 months after enactment of the Bill to less than that. I know that many in the Opposition and in the environmental NGO community were concerned at the original 24 month timeframe, considering it to be too long in the context of our pressing mitigation targets up to 2020. Accordingly, in amendment No. 27, I have decided to shorten this timeframe to 18 months. I did so on the basis of what I heard on Committee Stage, taking on board what Deputies said on Committee Stage. I am not sure if the Deputies opposite were there at the time. While I know this will probably not be enough for them, I feel it is a fair compromise. It is the bare minimum necessary to allow robust mitigation policy measures to be developed and to be made subject to strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment pursuant to EU directives, as well as to statutory body processes.

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