Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I reject entirely the idea that the Government is looking to bring forward or overseeing any form of apartheid in having clean air. I do so because I agree with the opening points made by the Deputy about the importance of clean air and its significant impact on public health. I will raise with the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, the issue of why commitments regarding a nationwide ban on smoky coal were not followed up. He is well aware of the importance of clean air. The climate action plan published by the Government includes many steps which outline how we are looking to make progress in areas that matter in terms of public health. There are steps additional to those outlined by the Deputy which will help us to make progress in ensuring we will have cleaner air across the country. I hope we will be able to make progress in that regard in the coming weeks and months. I will revert to the Deputy at a later point, possibly during the course of this session, with an answer to his specific question as to why the commitments given have not been implemented.

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