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

We do not have a far right in Ireland. We have a far left but the far right and the far left are like a horse shoe: when one goes so far in one direction, one pretty much ends up in the same place.

One of the recommendations of the cross-party committee on climate action was that we adopt a just transition model and have just transition task forces. There are ways in which we can realise them. In the midlands, as Bord na Móna restructures and moves away from peat to become an energy and a waste company, it is about making sure people not only get decent severance packages and pensions but also get the opportunity to retrain and take up new employment in other areas. As the Deputy says, it can involve helping people to make the change and we do that already by providing subsidies for electric vehicles and the Better Energy Warmer Homes scheme.

However, we must also be honest with people. The cost of renovating and insulating every home in Ireland is €50 billion. No Government of any hue could find that kind of money so people will have to bear most of the cost of insulating their homes themselves. The Government is not in a position to buy everyone an electric vehicle so people will have to bear the cost of changing their vehicles. That is where Government models come in. It can introduce a carbon charge or tax to make things that damage the environment more expensive but on the flip side, it can use subsidies, the fuel allowance and the welfare system to compensate for that to make sure it is just.

See this speech in context