Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The tongue will be out. The sheer magnitude of the Government delegation to COP 27 damaged the credibility of the case for climate action. The event has really and truly turned into something akin to a jolly boys' outing to Margate. Figures on the number of delegates have been provided to our colleague, Deputy Nolan, by Departments. There were 11 individuals from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, two from the Department of Finance, ten from the Department of Foreign Affairs, two from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, one from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and two from the Department of Health. That is without mentioning the countless hangers-on from the NGOs, who are dictating policy in this country. They are unelected and are terrorising people around the country. We have been told the Department's delegation cost €12,900, but a spokesperson failed to provide the cost for the group's stay at the five-star beach resort. I hope the Minister had a good time. What was the need to bring such a large delegation? What is that about? From the figures provided in response to this question, we see the cost of travel was more than €50,000. Think of all the gas-guzzling jets. It is a mockery. Imagine anyone seeing this when the Minister is claiming to be the great leader on this. More power to him. I am glad the people over there liked him and had smoked salmon with him. However, the cost fell to the taxpayers here.

The Government used its presence at COP 27 to reiterate its commitment to more than double Ireland's annual international climate finance contribution to €225 million by 2025. That is nice money. What about the people in the cottages who cannot heat their homes? Can they have some of that? Some €18 million of that money was announced by the Minister, Deputy Ryan. It is no bother at all to him to announce how other people's money will be spent. Not to be outdone by the Minister, the Taoiseach was also there announcing the spending of Irish taxpayers' money to garner favour with the COP elites. In the reply to a parliamentary question, he said we are going to spend another €10 million. That is what the Taoiseach coughed up.

This is shocking. It is easy to wine and dine and have the big fancy dinners at the expense of the Irish taxpayers, whose tongues are out while trying to live, who cannot put food on the table, who cannot light their fires, and who cannot pay the cost to fill their fuel tanks or anything else. It is a mockery and the backbenchers are there praising it. It will come home to them soon.

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