Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach referred to county councils earlier. In the context of climate change, does he share the views recently attributed to the Dublin City Council manager, Mr. Owen Keegan, that if he had his way, he would cut down all the trees on streets in Dublin that are traversed by buses. That would be a radical action in the context of our climate. What was stated shows how difficult it is, notwithstanding 300 to 500-point plans, to get real co-ordination and leadership in the context of institutions such as county councils. I was among many who attended the Youth Assembly that took place here courtesy of the Ceann Comhairle. It was a good initiative. I was interested in the Taoiseach's comments praising the young people to the sky. The young people are practical. They want forests and trees to be planted, not cut down as suggested by the manager of Dublin City Council. They also want deciduous trees to be planted, not just Sitka spruce. Forests containing the latter species are subject to permanent darkness. The young people who attended the assembly also want action on public transport and, in particular, improvements in air quality, a matter in respect of which the Government has failed. The Government is still failing to take on the smoky coal merchants, ban what they are selling and give relief to towns such as Enniscorthy, in which the air is badly polluted. We know about the success of clean air policies in Dublin city and in all the other major cities. In the context of his comments on young people, what does the Taoiseach plan to do that will follow up on some of the heartfelt comments they made here last Friday? The Taoiseach praised them to the sky but did not mention any specifics.

See this speech in context