Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have a number of questions and concerns in relation to the provisions of this amendment, particularly as it relates to the price of fuel at the pump. Commuters and those involved in transport are seeing the price of petrol and diesel increasing at the forecourt every day. They are looking to the Government for some relief but they do not see it. Here we have a proposal to offset but as Deputy Doherty said, Sinn Féin had proposals in relation to carbon tax which the Government ignored. While carbon tax is not a huge element of the price increase, it is part of the increase that families are having to live with.

The argument made by the Government about the carbon tax is that it is ring-fenced for mitigation but the NORA levy is also ring-fenced for climate projects. In that context, what are the implications of this move for the ring-fenced element of the NORA levy which is supposed to be, on foot of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill, a concession, and one of very few, on behalf of the Minister to the Opposition? What are the implications for those projects that are waiting for funding, including biodiversity and climate projects? Will they be impacted negatively by this measure and the reduction in the NORA levy?

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