Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister to provide information on the status of the carbon budgets and a clear timeline for the publication of the carbon budgets and the climate action plan. With just over a week to the start of the crucial climate talks at COP26 in Glasgow and with only nine years to the 2030 deadline for the achievement of our ambitious and welcome 51% reduction target, what is lacking is a sense of clarity and urgency in the Government's response in respect of its proposed measures to deal the climate emergency and to show how we are going to achieve our emissions reduction targets. Everyone I speak to in the renewable energy sector and people involved in this are concerned about the lack of implementation measures, the lack of urgency and the lack of clarity.

We were led to believe that the carbon budgets would be published in the first week of October, before the fiscal budget. It would have been preferable if we could have seen those budgets aligned. It would have been useful to have been able to scrutinise budget 2022 in the context of our vital climate action targets alongside the carbon budgets, but we were unable to do so. Now there are reports this week that the proposals of the Climate Change Advisory Council are likely to be published next week, but the Dáil and Seanad will not be sitting next week. It will be well into the commencement of COP26, therefore, before we will be able to have a debate in the Oireachtas on these crucial documents regarding the crucial measures in the carbon budgets and in the climate action plan.

There is also a lack of clarity on other key measures we need to take regarding climate change. There were reports yesterday that the just transition commissioner will not be placed on a statutory footing, as was promised in the programme for Government. What is the position on that? There are also real concerns about the announcement in budget 2022 of the removal of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, grant for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This grant had already been reduced in July from €5,000 to €2,500. We agree with the need to incentivise the move to fully electric vehicles, and I welcome the budget announcement of the extension of the grant in that regard, but there is still a lack of clarity and a lack of notice to people who might have made decisions on making a move to more environmentally-friendly transport and who are now faced with this change.

We must ensure that there is public buy-in for the measures necessary to tackle climate change. We have to ensure that people, particularly in rural areas, are assured about decisions and can have confidence in them. We have to bring people with us. That is crucial in advance of COP26. All of us, including those who will be on Merrion Square tomorrow at 1 p.m. for a pre-COP26 climate action protest, want to see real clarity, certainty and urgency from the Government.

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