Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the reason for the delay in producing a climate change heads of bill as promised in 2012. [6051/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Work on developing provisions of progressive climate legislation is at an advanced stage and I will issue outline heads shortly for consideration by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, and stakeholders. The short period of additional time which I am taking before issuing the outline heads of the Bill is related to the importance of ensuring that we get the proposed provisions right; that is the absolute priority. It will also provide the opportunity for me to bring forward the final climate policy analysis report from the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, secretariat to be released in tandem with the heads of Bill. As I have stated previously, I envisage a central role for the joint committee in the policy development process, most importantly on the critical issue of coming to a clear national understanding of how to meet our binding EU and wider international mitigation commitments, as well as pursuing our national objectives in a low carbon global economy.

From the outset of the programme on the development of national climate policy and legislation which I announced in January 2012, I have been very open that there are no easy answers to the greenhouse gas mitigation chal lenge we face. My intention is to ensure that the ultimate decision on the way forward will be taken on the basis of a fair hearing for all stakeholders and will provide a platform for a strong stakeholder and wider society consensus on the fundamental objective of becoming a low carbon, climate resilient society with a competitive low carbon economy over the period to 2050.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I am disappointed by the Minister's answer as he informed me previously that climate change legislation was at an advanced stage and would come before the House shortly. Trying to nail down the Minister on this issue is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is like trying to nail what to a wall?

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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It is like trying to nail jelly to a wall.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I thought the Deputy said "gelignite".

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister is being highly evasive on this issue. This time last year, he promised the Bill would be ready before the summer. The summer came and went and we did not see it. He then published a roadmap and promised the legislation, which is in the programme for Government, would be ready by Christmas. This Bill was a Fine Gael priority in opposition and is also a priority for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney. The effects of climate change are no longer disputed. It had a serious impact on farm incomes last year when weather conditions caused farm incomes in some areas to fall by up to 20%.

Ireland holds the Presidency of the European Council and the Minister noted that we must meet our EU commitments on climate change. Last Thursday, I published a climate change Bill very similar to one to which the Minister put his name previously. The Government repeatedly challenges the Opposition to produce solutions. Sinn Féin has produced a solution to this issue and we ask the Minister to examine it. Will the legislation the Minister proposes to introduce include legally binding five year targets? Will it provide for carbon budgets to ensure the Government does not kick the can down the road, as previous Governments did, and leave a future Government to face a carbon cliff at some point? I do not want the Minister to continue this practice of putting off dealing with climate change. Will the legislation provide for clear, science based targets for 2050? Will an independent advisory commission be established to advise the Minister and Taoiseach on these matters? Will the legislation provide for accountability to the Dáil? Those are the questions I want the Minister to answer.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy has pre-empted some of the points I will make when Deputy Catherine Murphy moves her Bill on Friday.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister to answer the series of questions I asked arising from his reply to my original question.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I will answer them. However, I also wish to correct a number of points the Deputy made. I did not promise legislation last June.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister did so in this House.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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No, I did not. I have before me, in writing, the promise I made in the House, including with regard to the roadmap.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister's roadmap is in a cul-de-sac.

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I fully acknowledge that I am a few weeks behind time. While slippage sometimes occurs, I am bringing forward the policy analysis done by the National Economic and Social Council from the end of February 2013 to next week. The Deputy failed to refer to his document, which is the outcome of a process that involves the various stakeholders drawing up the necessary policy options and doing an analysis of how Ireland will achieve mitigation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a sectoral basis against a background of economic difficulty. There are challenges which legislation alone will not solve. People in various Ministries and sectors must produce solutions to ensure we meet the legally binding targets set out in EU legislation. We must comply with certain targets provided for in legislation as failure to do so would result in the European Commission bringing a case against Ireland for infringements to the European Court of Justice. Some of Deputy Stanley's ideas will feature among the proposals being put to government. However, I must secure the agreement of the Cabinet before I can inform the House.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. I am pleased he will introduce legislation relatively soon. Sinn Féin is putting him under pressure on this issue because we believe it is important. Notwithstanding that the country is in economic difficulty, as the Minister noted, this issue is affecting incomes, particularly farm incomes.

Climate change is having a negative effect on their sector. Will there be an independent advisory commission and is the target being set for 2050 80% or, as with other EU countries, between 80% and 95%?

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I am anxious to work in step with our EU partners to ensure that we have a competitive, low carbon economy. If we are out of step with them and fall behind the leaders, it might damage our competitiveness. We are working in step with our EU partners to comply with targets to which we are legally bound.

The outline heads of the low carbon Bill will be brought to the Government next week. I will then be in a position to inform the House of its precise details. Many of the ideas mentioned in the course of Deputy Stanley's contribution - I am sure I will hear them from Deputy Catherine Murphy on Friday - will form a major part of any proposal tabled by the Government. I acknowledge the contribution made in the previous Dáil by the Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, which did a significant amount of research on this matter. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, has engaged with stakeholders and put together policy analyses and options for various Departments. Hopefully, all of this work will feed into a broad consensus in the House on where we need to be in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions for our society and economic development.