Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My position on the so-called just transition has been clear since the process was announced. My major concern is that Government policy is destroying jobs by escalating a process that simply cannot and will not deliver what it promises without significant damage to local economies, particularly in Offaly and Laois. This is reckless of the Government, not least in the absence of alternatives or permanent, sustainable jobs. I have made a detailed submission to the consultation on the EU Just Transition Fund and the development of a draft territorial just transition plan in February and I again outlined these concerns, which I have done on many occasions since the just, or unjust, transition process was announced. We are still no closer to knowing when the fabled €84 million in EU moneys will become available, and the Government needs to step up to the mark with that. Under no circumstances should our economies in Laois and Offaly suffer because of poor decision-making, ill judgment and the imposition of an unjust transition.

Of course, the transition process cannot be separated from the Government's wider carbon mitigation and reduction strategy and the new European Green Deal. Astronomical costs are associated with the implementation of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, which will cost €180 billion between 2021 and 2030. It is crazy what is happening and is allowed to go on every day. It remains my view that this legislation is regressive and will only compound the difficulties of counties such as Laois and Offaly, which will certainly bear the brunt of the transition process. Indeed, Offaly will suffer 38% of the job losses.

I remain unconvinced about the entire rationale for the transition process and the so-called need to utterly transform the rural economy on the basis of a calculation of need and urgency that simply does not stand up to non-ideological scrutiny. The Government is ignoring other research that exists.

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