Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I fully support these amendments and thank Deputy Murphy for tabling them. The points are well covered and these issues were raised, not just by me and others in the Opposition but also by the Minister of State's party colleague and Chairman of the climate committee, Deputy Leddin. We have the opportunity again this evening to go over that ground. It is absolutely essential that public bodies are in line with climate law, the climate action plan, carbon budgets and sectoral emissions ceilings, and that is the intent of these amendments. Like Deputy Murphy, however, I can pre-empt some of the response from the Minister of State. I hope I am wrong but if there are arguments, as there were on Committee Stage, on the contents of the EU gas package and their implications, then the Minister of State should spell them out because by my assessment and that of others is that there is no contraindication here. There is nothing to prohibit us from agreeing these amendments tonight, including them in the legislation and sending a clear signal of intent as well as a practical measure in terms of the restructuring of GNI.

If the Minister of State is going to make that case, he should spell out the issues in relation to the EU gas package. As was the case during the Committee Stage debate, my sense was that there was broad agreement with the thrust, spirit and intent of the amendments. I ask the Minister of State to spell out how exactly, with details on legislation and timeframe, the Government intends to do what is absolutely necessary, which is to deliver on the objective of reshaping and repurposing GNI. If he does not do that, he cannot give any of us in the Opposition any confidence.

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