Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The block allocation mentioned by the Minister is necessary and welcome but we need to know what that will mean for workers in Bord na Móna and the ESB. There is uncertainty and the fear of worker representatives is that jobs will be lost and not regained. Does the Minister accept the point made by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, that a forum for immediate and direct engagement with Bord na Móna workers is urgently needed that is above and beyond what is there from the just transition commissioner and that the Minister must take the lead in ensuring dialogue between the two sides? As the Minister knows, Bord na Móna representatives have said it will not engage with the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, process and the Minister stated before that the just transition commissioner has no role in these matters.

On a separate but related point, the Department's public consultation on the long-term climate strategy for submission to the European Commission by year-end is open for only 15 working days. Why was such a short period provided when we have known about the importance of the strategy for over a year? How will the Department be able to review and incorporate input from the public consultation in just nine working days? It seems to be a token public consultation process and I am concerned about it. There is genuine public willingness to provide input to the Department and the Minister on these matters.

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