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

The Taoiseach has outlined his meetings and speeches at COP26. In his address to COP26, he said that every second of delay makes the task to cut emissions that bit bigger. He is correct. The crisis is cumulative and while we wait to take action we allow the problem to get worse. Unfortunately, not only were many of the outcomes of COP26 frustrating in betraying a lack of urgency at world leader level, in Ireland we are also seeing repeatedly long delays and missed deadlines in this Government's response to climate change.

We very much welcome the ambitious national climate targets. It is necessary that those targets are in place and that we all sign up to the targets of a 51% reduction by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. That is vital, but we are not seeing the necessary detail of how we will achieve those targets. Last night, I addressed this to the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. Following publication of the climate action plan, which sets out these very ambitious targets, I asked him when we would see publication of the accompanying detailed annex of actions, with timelines, to support delivery of the plan. The response I got from the Minister was that it would be published in the coming weeks. This detailed annex of actions and timelines is essential to provide all of us, and all the different sectors, with the information necessary to show us how we will achieve the necessary emission reduction targets. Will the Taoiseach now tell us exactly when this crucial document will be published, given that we have seen such delays in publication of the action plan and other crucial documents?

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