Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

As I stated on Committee Stage, the amendments call for national mitigation plans and-or national adaptation frameworks to be approved by either Dáil Éireann or the Oireachtas instead of, or in addition to, approval by the Government of the day. I strongly disagree with these proposals, as the Government of the day should be the approving authority and should be held accountable for its approved plans. Delegating approval to the Dáil or the Oireachtas as a whole undercuts the role of the Government of the day to the detriment of accountability and, accordingly, I will not support the amendments, a point I clearly made on Committee Stage. Governments have a mandate. They are elected by the people and they have a mandate to serve. Governments will come and go but all governments have that mandate and, rightly, should have authority in this area.

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