Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 30:

In page 6, line 11, to delete “submit to the Government for approval” and substitute “submit to Dáil Éireann for approval”.

The point of the amendment is to overcome the ambiguity in the proposed Bill that seems to imply that the low carbon and mitigation plan will not be put before the Dáil for approval and discussion, but instead will be left to the approval of the ruling party alone. That would be a disaster for transparency, accountability and democracy. It is essential, in light of the seriousness of the situation and the short-term and long-term effects that any such plan would have on the country and the environment, that it would be debated in an open and democratic manner.

The Government subsidises the fossil fuel industry by more than €1 billion a year, propping up the development of oil and gas reserves that cannot be exploited if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change. It is presumptuous of me to predict it, but the chances of the next Government most likely also being a neoliberal one are pretty strong and the criminal corporate welfare will more than likely continue.

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