Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The second iteration of the whole-of-government circular economy strategy is currently under development in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. As the Deputy would expect, that needs to be a cross-governmental response. My Department is very much part of that discussion with the lead Department in the context of industry and economic development. I accept the criticism on where Ireland has been in this area. However, I do not accept that we are not putting in place a pathway to a much more impactful response to the circular economy challenge that we have across multiple areas, from energy generation to energy management to transportation, to waste management and waste to energy. In all of these areas, the principles around the benefits of a circular economy are now being actioned in Government policy. We have a distance to travel yet; that is true.

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