Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, is hosting the annual conference of the European Environment and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils Network next week. NESC published an important paper earlier this year that addressed employment vulnerability as part of a just transition in Ireland. The paper recommended that Government take steps to improve the evidence base for policymakers and that future efforts to gather evidence to inform policymaking for a just transition should involve a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques to ensure data findings are amplified by first-hand expertise from businesses and communities. Perhaps the Taoiseach could provide us with an update on the Government's implementation of these recommendations and where these measures are placed in the climate action and low carbon development (amendment) Bill, which was published earlier this month. The Bill does not make reference to a just transition, nor did the Government make mention of fairness when launching this legislation. My colleagues, Senator Boylan and Deputy O'Rourke, have already expressed concerns at the omission of any mention of a just transition, workers' rights or social justice in the Government's climate Bill.

As political leaders, we need to meet people where they are and bring them where they need to be on matters of such island-wide and global importance. Deputy O'Rourke has highlighted the absence of workers' rights or social justice expertise on the Climate Change Advisory Council. I ask the Taoiseach to address this omission. Solutions to the climate crisis can create an income crisis for workers and their families. As a result, climate action is all too often unnecessarily framed in a negative context. Inequality is central to this. Where agriculture is placed within the climate action discussion is an example of how the Government is getting this wrong. The Think-tank for Action on Social Change, TASC, and others have highlighted how unequal the agricultural sector is in terms of income. Farmers, like those in other sectors affected by the changes we need to make, need to know that fairness and climate action can and will go hand in hand. The Government's climate legislation needs to incorporate solid evidence-based data, amplify expertise from businesses and communities as recommended by NESC, and place a just transition, workers' rights and social justice centre stage. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach would share his point of view on these matters.

See this speech in context