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

I thank Deputy Smith for setting out the proposed amendment. I agree with her that the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act and the provisions therein for public bodies must be followed in a manner which is consistent with the latest climate action plan. That is very important and I fully agree with it. This particular legislative provision was inserted on the advice of the Attorney General in response to recent decisions that could have an impact on the delivery of this much-needed electricity generation infrastructure. I was not willing to take the chance that this measure would be subject to legal challenge that would see it in judicial review proceedings or other mechanisms, which would mean we would not be able to deliver it in the necessary time. While I have every intention of acting in a manner consistent with the climate action plan, I will do so in a practical way, having regard to the seriousness of the current situation and the compelling necessity to deliver these projects. The proposed provisions merely provide clarity as to what will feed into that decision and, as I indicated, have been devised on the advice of the Attorney General to protect from further delays, which is the last thing we need.

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