Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 to 16, inclusive, together.

The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments in respect of the environment and climate change. The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 sets out Ireland's key climate change commitments. It sets challenging carbon reduction targets for the period to 2030 and a statutory commitment to achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2050.

Following the approval of the carbon budget programme by the Houses of the Oireachtas in April, sectoral emission ceilings determining the upper limits of greenhouse gas emissions for all sectors have been agreed by the Government, save for the land use sector, which requires further analytical work to be undertaken over the coming 15 months. Agreed policies and measures designed to ensure sectors quickly and significantly reduce their emissions have been set out in the Climate Action Plan 2021. The plan will be further revised this year to ensure the actions it contains are sufficient to meet the reduction targets made explicit through the setting of the carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings.

The next meeting of the Cabinet committee is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 27 October, and it will continue to meet regularly to progress all aspects of the Government's ambitious climate action and environmental policies.

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