Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I did not hear many solutions there. I did hear many excuses. Are the Minister and the Government au faitwith the seriousness of the potential fines they could be bringing down on the country? Joseph Curtin from the Institute of International and European Affairs says the country could face fines of €610 million by 2020. That is money that could otherwise be invested in health, education and a better life for our people. He has not ruled out that by 2030 fines of €5.5 billion could be levied on this country.

The Minister has produced an outline national mitigation plan that has been described by An Taisce as too little, too late and an unmitigated failure. It has been described by Friends of the Earth as having complete inadequacy. Will the Minister outline some concrete proposals and not a litany of excuses?

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