Dáil debates

Wednesday, 1 June 2022

Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill 2022: Report and Final Stages

 

5:32 pm

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am very glad to be here for Report Stage of the Circular Economy, Waste Management (Amendment) and Minerals Development (Amendment) Bill. I commend the Members, the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, and the officials on the processing of the Bill to date. There has been a lot of listening and amending. Today I will be introducing a series of amendments based on many of the suggestions coming from the Opposition. I can give examples of that good collaboration. Deputy Whitmore raised the need for consultation in the drafting of a circular economy strategy, particularly relating to people with disability and stitching poverty impact assessment into everything we do with circular economy legislation. I regard that as a very good and pertinent example of amending legislation to take a social justice perspective into account.

I will not be accepting the amendment. I do not believe that this is the place for us to focus on or set the definition of a just transition. We had this discussion at length in the development of the climate law and we will do so again later this year. We are working on the introduction of a statutory just transition commission office. I had meetings this week with the Just Transition Alliance and with a range of different actors asking very detailed questions as to how we define that word "fair". That is the right place to define a just transition commission or a just transition approach in its own right. I do not believe this is the appropriate place and I do not think it would strengthen or add to the legislation. On this occasion, I am afraid I cannot accept the amendments.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.