Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am going to use my time today to make an argument for the inclusion of two particular groups as primary parts of just transition. Before I do, however, I wish to make the point that it is fantastic to have the chance today to talk about just transition and there are many good things to talk about, including the EU just transition fund and the €180 million in funding committed to Bord na Móna's bog restoration. There are actions afoot, which is so positive. I am concerned, however, that we have not yet legislated for the just transition commission. I believe we may be a few months away from that legislation. I wish to highlight the fact that although we are talking about huge sums of money when it comes to just transition, and quite rightly because it is a huge undertaking, the commission itself will not be an expensive undertaking. The just transition commission in Scotland from the years 2018 to 2022 cost only £321,000. The future generations fund in Wales is funded every year to the tune of £1.5 million. While we are not talking about big money in this regard, it is incredibly important that we have a legally robust framework and the commission certainly is very important in that.

Two groups must be primary elements in the just transition, the first of which is unions. Some of my colleagues in the Chamber have already pointed this out but the phrase "just transition" is a union phrase. Many of the industries that will be most impacted by the move to a low-carbon society are highly unionised workplaces. It is incredibly important that from the very get-go, we bring unions into the dialogue from the ground up. Unions are their workers, and we need workers to tell us how to transition in a way that makes sense for their communities. I ask for that in the first instance.

In what is kind of a counterpoint to the issue of unions being at the very heart of just transition, the second group is identified with the caring economy. I say that as a woman and as somebody who has been a carer. We have a huge number of people who may not be drawing a wage but who make a huge contribution. We know the many carers in this country are worth almost €2 billion to the economy. They do incredible work. In terms of demographics, we probably are moving to a more caring economy where there is less work and more caring in the home. It is incredibly important that we put those people and communities and those types of families at the very heart of a just transition. That is not an easy proposition but it is one that is well worth doing.

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