Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to inform the House of amendments made by Seanad Éireann to the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill 2015. It is a timely topic as governments around the word are seeking to negotiate a new climate agreement in Paris - I will be there myself quite soon - which will put us all on track to limit carbon emissions and help countries, both developed and developing, to accelerate their transition to low-carbon and sustainable economies and prepare for the inevitable impacts of a changing climate.

I will be heading to Paris for the high level session of the conference on Sunday and I do not underestimate the challenges next week to securing agreement on what is probably the most significant international conference on the future of our planet and the quality of life of our children and grandchildren. However, all of our hopes cannot rest on the Paris outcome alone. We can show leadership through Government, businesses and citizens taking actions to reduce our emissions here at home and blazing a trail for others to learn from and follow.

Deputies will recall that the Bill completed all Stages in the House on 8 October, having been amended in several important ways on Report Stage. The Bill then progressed to Seanad Éireann where debate proved positive and fruitful. In particular, on Committee Stage in that House, a number of matters were raised that were shown to warrant further scrutiny. On deliberation by me and the Ministers of State, Deputies Coffey and Phelan, and with the support of the Government, agreement was reached on Report Stage in the Seanad to make nine separate amendments to the Bill. These amendments achieve three important goals.

Amendment No. 1 provides that each successive national mitigation plan will be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas rather than just Dáil Éireann. Amendments Nos. 2 and 3 provide that each successive national adaptation framework will be laid before both Houses of the Oireachtas rather than just Dáil Éireann. Amendments Nos. 4 to 9, inclusive, provide that the annual transition statement will be presented by the relevant Ministers to both Houses of the Oireachtas rather than just Dáil Éireann. I consider these amendments to be sensible and desirable changes to an already ambitious Bill. They will enable the input of Seanad Éireann to be heard fully by Ministers and the Government as we move forward with our mitigation and adaptation policy measures.

With these changes, which I hope the House can join with me in confirming, I believe it is now time to pass this historic Bill into law so that we can build on the preparatory work already under way and engage fully with the all important implementation phase. This includes, not least, the development of the State's first national mitigation plan which will chart a course towards meeting our immediate greenhouse gas emission mitigation targets up to 2020 as well as looking towards 2030 and 2050. Moreover, implementation will also involve development of the first statutory national adaptation framework and associated sectoral climate change adaptation plans so that we can plan and prepare ourselves for the inevitable impacts of climate change over the coming years and decades.

I thank the House for all the debates on this important topic to date.

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