Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil supports the direction taken in this Bill. We are committed to protecting workers and communities as we decarbonise the economy. A climate crisis is unfolding and the State must decarbonise in a way that is not only sustainable but also fair, equitable and deliverable for the communities which stand to be most affected.

Before discussing the Bill, I will address the context on the ground. Fianna Fáil is extremely concerned by the announcements by the ESB and Bord na Móna of major job losses at the Moneypoint coal plant and peat-fired plants. The recent An Bord Pleanála decision regarding the operations of the west Offaly power station is also putting more jobs at risk. This summer saw the closure of the Lough Ree power station and subsequent layoffs at the Mount Dillon Bord na Móna works in Lanesborough. These businesses have been central to rural communities for many generations. We met the workers of the Mount Dillon plant during the summer and experienced the sheer frustration and sense of being let down by companies of the State and the Government. The Government's response to these developments has been appalling. We need a proactive, inclusive and equitable approach that prioritises social justice and the welfare of all affected employees, families and towns. Permitting an unjust transition and ignoring the real concerns of workers and communities risk undermining public trust and impeding climate action. The choice facing us is to stay passive and allow the transition to happen to workers and communities or to actively shape this transition together, prioritising social justice and the welfare of all the workers and communities involved.

The Minister spoke about citizens' empowerment. I will place on record what the Longford and Roscommon county councils are doing in bringing together a collaboration group, which has five members from Lanesborough and five members from Ballyleague. They are taking a proactive approach to addressing this issue by treating Lanesborough and surrounding areas within a 30-minute commute as an employment hub. The group will meet on Saturday in a stakeholder brainstorming consultation. As well as members from the local community, the group includes influential business people from far away who have ties to the area and captains of industry in the wider area will attend. It will meet IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland early next Monday to report its deliberations, findings, recommendations and suggestions. The Minister spoke of citizens' empowerment and community engagement. Here is a group of people working for the betterment of its community and we need to respond to that. An official should be designated to liaise with it and help it in its deliberations.

We cannot merely have a managed transition. We need one that is equitable and takes account of the obligations on the State, the responsibilities of employers and the need to protect the most vulnerable. The European Commission has stated:

Ensuring a socially fair transition is crucial to ensure a politically feasible transition. This will be challenging, but nowhere as challenging as facing the economic and social consequences of failing to act.

We also have to avoid any approach that creates a false dichotomy between protecting communities, on the one hand, and necessary climate action, on the other.

The Bill contains several positive elements, most notably the creation of a new body to bring all stakeholders together, mediate and ensure clear plans are produced that would support workers and the wider community. The integration of fundamental principles, such as the principles of climate justice and conservation of biodiversity, into the decision-making of such a body is also very welcome. I recognise that this is a complex area given that we already have a crisis, especially in the midlands. The new body would potentially have to work with several different State actors. I also appreciate that the Bill was developed prior to the deliberations of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Climate Action and ahead of the proposals agreed in the committee's landmark report. My colleagues will be aware that the committee also recommended the creation of a task force with similar functions to the commission envisaged in the Bill, including carrying out early assessments of social and employment aspects, providing training for workers, examining social protection needs and delivering local economic diversification plans. In the report of the joint committee it was a particular priority of Fianna Fáil that a new national task force would have an independent steering committee and chairman. It was also agreed that it would be structured to allow it to make optimal use of existing structures, draw on expertise and enable investment to be effectively targeted. The issue of membership and appointments is an area deserving particular attention, which should be teased out on Committee Stage. Other amendments may be necessary to align the Bill with the committee's earlier recommendations, including how a new body would overlap with a strengthened Climate Change Advisory Council.

Ideally, we should not need this legislation. The Government could and should establish such a body today. We are discussing this Bill because of knowing neglect and an absence of joined-up thinking.

As I said, the Oireachtas committee stated in March that a task force must be established for the midlands as a priority. The Government's climate plan, which was released in June, downgraded this proposal to the establishment of a just transition review group located in the National Economic and Social Council, NESC. The Government has also pointed to the existing midlands regional enterprise forum. The workers do not need further research. We need Government leadership. Workers deserve immediate supports and long-term investment in the region. The Government's dismissive, disorganised response has undermined public trust.

I welcome that Bord na Móna previously recognised the need to end peat extraction and burning and that the company is taking major steps to diversify its business. We need greater consultation, however, and engagement with workers long in advance of decisions on redundancies and investment. This applies not only to Bord na Móna and peat but also to the ESB and other fossil fuel industries, including operations at Moneypoint.

An effective just transition strategy requires local and bottom-up participation by everybody affected. There are very clear legal obligations on the State to facilitate public participation in decision-making. These must be closely followed. Fianna Fáil is clear that communities must not be left on their own to manage the impacts and I welcome that the Bill seeks to address this.

Fianna Fáil believes that EU funding also should be deployed to respond to those job losses. The Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action was informed of best practice examples, including in Spain where agreement was reached on a significant investment package for affected communities, alongside the phasing out of coal mines. The Government's climate action fund did not prioritise the midlands despite Bord na Móna's long-known phase-out plans. The Government needs to be focused on long-term investment and not merely support for short-term projects or once-off events. It also needs to consider the use of revenue generated from carbon taxation for training and investment, with a particular focus on poorer households.

When we take a long-term perspective to investment and employment, there are real opportunities for the midlands. The State can make good use of the extensive engineering and logistical skills of Bord na Móna and its workers for the long-term benefit. Bord na Móna and the ESB have the opportunity to launch new activities through the development of renewable and energy efficiency projects.

The Oireachtas committee report also highlighted the urgent need for the Government to embark upon a major retrofitting programme, which the Minister acknowledged in his contribution. The Government decision to scrap the deep retrofit scheme, however, was not providing good leadership. I acknowledge that Government acted swiftly to the backlash to that decision and reversed it, but it showed poor leadership to the country at large.

The need for a transformed and fully decarbonised economy is not in doubt. A just transition is a fundamental part of this process but it will not be achieved by quick fixes after decisions have already been taken. Rather, it requires proper assessment of the social justice implications of policies and decisions and for protective measures to be put in place in the first instance. This is urgently necessary for communities in the midlands. This Bill provides a useful opportunity to address Government failings and I look forward to returning to the issue during the next Stages in order that further improvements can be made.

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