Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Such measures will have to be funded. This issue is being considered by the climate committee and I look forward to seeing its recommendations. As the Taoiseach has said, a carbon tax should not be about raising money for the Government or punishing people in their pockets. It should be about nudging people and businesses to change behaviour and adopt new technologies. We must also work with our farmers to modernise agriculture and reduce emissions from that sector, taking into account the need to protect their incomes and livelihoods as well as the environment.

The tax regime in respect of oil and gas has the prospect of delivering considerable revenue to the State. Most of the exploration licences that have been awarded in the Irish offshore are on the most recent tax terms, which means a rate of tax of between 25% and 55% depending on the profitability of the field. The assertion that we are seeking to tax the people and not the companies does not hold up to scrutiny. I also caution against a rush to make the climate debate a debate about tax alone. Such an approach will be divisive and we should guard against it.

Some Members have strong feelings about this Bill. I would like to be in a position to state that Ireland no longer needs oil and gas but that is simply not the case. That is the fundamental problem we must address. Hence the counter motion the Government has proposed which: notes the need to reduce fossil fuel consumption across the economy; recognises that there is a need to step up Ireland's progress and ambition in this area; looks forward to all parties supporting the special committee's report and its conclusions and recommendations; and specifically calls on the Government to urgently bring forward an all-of-Government plan which will set out the actions that must be taken to make Ireland a leader in responding to climate change and providing for a significant increase over the next decade in the level of renewable energy in our energy mix.

Turning to the Bill, I reiterate that all the rules have been followed correctly. This has been checked and confirmed. There is no more I can say on that. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, set out our fundamental issues with the Bill. The Bill would have no impact on emissions. It would guarantee that we source the fossil fuels we need during the transition to a low carbon economy not from Irish waters, but from outside the EU, for example, from Russia or the Persian Gulf. Furthermore, importing our energy over long distances from third countries can have the perverse effect of increasing emissions, as energy is consumed in delivering it to Ireland.

There are no quick fixes when it comes to climate action. This Government is committed to moving away from the use of fossil fuels in electricity, heat and transport. I ask people watching this debate and who are invested in Ireland taking action on climate change not to conclude that by not supporting this Bill we are not intending to ramp up our actions. We did so earlier this week with the announcement of delivering 70% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Unlike the Bill before us, this will deliver a real and tangible reduction in our emissions. We will soon finalise our all-of-Government action plan to reduce our carbon emissions.

This Bill is a threat to our energy supply, as has been stated by a number of Members. It could also expose the Exchequer to a loss of income if implemented. I ask Deputies to support us in delivering the actions we are taking. There is much hard work to be done and we need everybody's support.

See this speech in context