Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I pay tribute to the work of the all-party climate change committee, particularly the Chairperson, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, whom I will meet tonight to discuss the report along with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, but also to each member of the committee who did a good day's work. I regret that Sinn Féin and the radical left could not sign up to the report although I am not as surprised by that as Deputy Howlin. It should be evident to any of the young people who took part in those inspiring protests in favour of climate action that socialism, or this particular brand of it, is not the future. The future lies in the centre and the centre left. It is a good thing that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael were able to sign up to this report, alongside the Labour Party, the Green Party and others.

The report was discussed at Cabinet yesterday and each Minister has been asked to examine the report and reply in detail to the individual recommendations which we expect will inform the Minister, Deputy Bruton's all-of-Government plan on climate action which we anticipate being able to publish this month or next month at the latest. I have also asked that there be a debate in the Dáil on the report so we have a chance to debate climate change and climate action. I agree that we need to catch up quickly over the next couple of years.

We are keen to work with farmers and the agrifood industry to reduce emissions. We need to do that in a way that recognises we need to protect the incomes and livelihoods of farmers and the agrifood industry and we will work with those industries to reduce emissions, modernise farming and reform the CAP, in particular, to make it more green-focused. That will require significant changes in the way we produce food and we are up for that challenge and want to do it in a collaborative way.

The cost of retrofitting all homes in the country is between €40 billion and €50 billion and it is not going to be possible for the Government to meet that cost. That would cost €5 billion a year over ten years.

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