Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It will be a matter for the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, to bring forward proposals on carbon pricing. The Oireachtas has clearly signalled that the money should not be used for revenue raising but rather as a dividend or to shoehorn additional work to decarbonise the economy. The Taoiseach has put on the record his support for that approach. On agriculture, the committee on climate action set out the need to adopt the Teagasc measures identified which would help to decarbonise agriculture. There is an agenda in that regard.

On legislation, the committee did not envisage separate sectoral legislation but rather legislation that would create a set of targets, namely, five-year budgets, as referred to by the Deputy, with the responsible Ministers to report back within those targets to the Oireachtas. A set of legislative measures in each sector is not envisaged; it is more about creating a framework and seeking that the players within those sectors act creatively to deliver on the targets. It will not all be regulation. I recognise that in certain areas we will need to look at regulations by way of statutory instrument or fresh legislation.

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