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

That was a nonsense of a response. People are dying as a result of smoky coal but the Minister stated that because of the vulnerability to a legal challenge, there will be more inaction from his Department on such a serious matter. There have been no suggestions about how the Government may improve or address the current, partial law and no proposal on how to shift subsidies and incentives away from fossil fuel burning. It is concerning that the Minister is more obsessed with legal challenges than in saving lives, which is what it comes down to in light of the EPA data.

The State's response to a real, immediate and worsening public health matter cannot be dictated by potential legal threats and big business. Experts at many universities have stated there are serious public health implications, and the national ban on selling and burning smoky coal is a logical first step towards improving air quality. Air pollution is closely linked to the climate crisis, yet the burning of smoky coal is entirely absent from the Government's new climate action plan. The same threats were made by big tobacco many years ago. The Government is taking the approach that because there is a potential for legal challenges, there will be no legislative action. That is not good enough. People are dying, as the data show.

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