Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 21, inclusive, together.

Climate action is the most pressing long-term global challenge of our time and is a significant priority for this Government. Through our strengthened climate legislation, Our Shared Future and our annually updated climate action plan, we have set ourselves the ambition of halving Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade and of putting Ireland on course to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

We are determined that Ireland will play its full part in EU and global efforts to stop climate change and in so doing, harness the opportunities and rewards that will come from moving quickly to a low-carbon society.

We must harness our massive untapped, renewable natural resources, providing greater energy security, stable prices, more jobs, and regional development.

The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for the Government's commitments on the environment and climate change. It met four times in 2022 and its next meeting will be scheduled shortly. It is chaired by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan.

The climate action delivery board, established in 2019, is jointly chaired by the Secretaries General of the Departments of the Taoiseach and the Environment, Climate and Communications. As well as overseeing the implementation of the annually updated climate action plan, it monitors implementation of carbon budgets and the sectoral emissions ceilings. It can also provide recommendations to the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change on measures required to overcome any barriers or impediments to the implementation of climate policies.

The Department of the Taoiseach has responsibility for publishing quarterly reports on the implementation of measures committed to under the climate action plan. The most recently completed report was published in November, covering actions due for reporting in the third quarter of 2022. An implementation rate of 60% was achieved specifically on those measures that were due in the third quarter. Overall, 77% of the 708 measures that were due under the Climate Action Plan 2021 were achieved by the end of the third quarter.

A further progress report on actions due in the fourth quarter of 2022 is currently being finalised and will be brought to the Government for publication shortly. This system of quarterly reporting helps to maintain accountability and transparency for the implementation of climate actions across all Departments and Government agencies and will continue.

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