James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As they say, past performance is no indicator of future performance. Just because it was done in a certain way for years and years does not mean it was the right way to do it. If we can do things more quickly, sooner and more effectively, let us do so rather than kick them to touch. We have had consultations and task forces. Now is the time for action on the national dialogue. It is an important step.

My primary concern is perhaps not so much the dialogue as the possibility that it will become a block to action coming at the end of it. The dialogue is much needed, but the sooner the dialogue starts and finishes, the sooner the much-needed action kicks in. We are well behind on our 2020 targets. In March of last year, the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, produced a report predicting that Ireland's emissions would be between 6% to 11% below the 2005 levels, which indicates that we have actually stepped backwards in this area. Given the global context, President Trump's various remarks and his immediate steps to row back Mr. Obama's climate change programme, it is even more a priority that Ireland meets its own obligations and takes immediate steps towards that.

Regarding the energy mix, the REFIT programme is still stalled, we have not seen action on solar energy and we have an overemphasis on wind energy. I find it difficult to see at this stage how the 2020 targets will be met, or will the country end up paying fines for lack of compliance? These are two nightmare scenarios we would rather avoid. I ask the Minister to bring forward the dialogue post haste.

See this speech in context