Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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9. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to issue new licences undertaken or leased for the exploration of oil or gas here in the coming months; if he will suspend such licences and so on until Dáil Éireann and the relevant Oireachtas committee have examined and passed the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23892/18]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I asked a similar question in February after the House debated the climate emergency measures Bill. Will the Minister commit to not issuing any new licences between now and the passing of the Bill through its various Stages? All issuing of licences for exploration offshore should be suspended in order to give the climate emergency measures Bill a chance to get through the Houses.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Petroleum and Other Minerals Development (Amendment) (Climate Emergency Measures) Bill has been referred to select committee for consideration and, as such, it remains a legislative proposal. The challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is well understood by the Government and it is reflected in our national climate action and energy policy and the debate we have had with various questions today. Ireland will, within the EU and UN climate frameworks, pursue and achieve a transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy, underpinned by a secure and competitive energy supply in the period to 2050. Within that transition, it is accepted that Ireland will continue to require and to use some fossil fuels to meet the needs of our people and economy.

In contrast, the Bill proposed by Solidarity will not reduce Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed Bill will not help Ireland meet its 2020 or its 2030 emissions targets. The strategy outlined by Solidarity is for Ireland to rely entirely on imports for all our fossil fuel needs. In contrast to the UN intergovernmental panel on climate change, the Solidarity approach does not recognise that natural gas can play a role as a transition fuel in combination with variable renewable sources. The Government and the Irish public are willing to tackle climate change but the proposed Bill will not solve climate change and, in that context, the proposed approach to authorisations does not make sense.

Forgoing the use of Ireland’s natural resources, utilised in a proportionate manner within the context of a climate transition, would be a loss to the Irish people from a fiscal, economic and security of supply perspective. A significant change in long-established national policy should be based on informed debate and consideration. Around this time last year, when we were dealing with the prohibition of onshore fracking, I invited the Oireachtas committee to hold a broad policy debate on national energy policy. This policy debate could consider issues of competitiveness, climate change, security of energy supply and Ireland’s offshore exploration policy. Such a debate would inform any future legislation in this area. The pre-legislative scrutiny proposed for the Bill in July is an opportunity for such a debate. I understand there will be meetings of the committee on 3 July and 10 July and that representatives of the International Energy Agency are due in later this month to discuss the matter of energy security.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I thank the Minister of State but he may as well have just copied and pasted the last answer he gave in February. He may have done so as I have just looked back at the transcript. Things have changed and at the time, the Minister of State told us the Bill was useless and would need a money message. It is not at all useless and it does not need a money message, which is why we are scrutinising the Bill on 3 July and 10 July.

Apart from the machinations of how the committee might deal with this, there is a movement across the globe to ban offshore exploration for oil. These are countries that may not be significant oil producers but nevertheless there is a growing impact. France, Costa Rica, Belize and New Zealand have all banned offshore oil and gas exploration. This Bill will pass because of the cross-party support it has received and Ireland will make no small or insignificant contribution to such action. Those measures are about reducing CO2 emissions and really tackling climate change in a serious way.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I know a number of other countries have taken different approaches and France has been mentioned numerous times. France's approach for the future is underpinned by an energy mix of 50% renewables, which is excellent, and 50% nuclear, which is completely different from what we are facing here in the Irish scenario. Scotland has proposed climate change legislation but it is also a major producer of oil and gas from the North Sea, so the elements are not mutually exclusive.

We are trying to reduce the use of fossil fuels and energy use through the grant system approved by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI. Previously we had questions relating to the use of plastics, and the appetite for a new directive is growing across Europe. We have to understand there are new technologies that are not here yet but may come here to help reduce the use of fossil fuels in jet fuel and the marine sector, both of which use large amounts of such fuels. The aim of the Government is to reduce the use of fossil fuels, although they will remain part of our energy mix for a period.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We will have these arguments in more detail at the committee level. I appeal to the Minister and the Minister of State to end any issuing of offshore exploration licences for fossil fuels between now and when the Bill progresses. It would be undemocratic not to do so as they have had a signal from the House that there is a cross-party support for the measure. More important, we need to signal to the fossil fuel industry and the world in general that we are taking climate change seriously. This tallies with the previous argument made by Deputy Daly because if we continue to invest either directly or indirectly in exploration for fossil fuels, we will not really be taking the matter of climate change any way seriously. The science behind this cannot be refuted and climate change is rapidly increasing the temperature of the planet. We know 80% of these fuels must now stay in the ground. That is what the Bill is about. I know there will be a big discussion about energy security but I hope this Bill will give a kick up the backside to this Government to get its finger out and invest seriously in renewables while moving away from fossil fuels.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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We have plans for renewables and clear targets that we need to meet. We must also recognise that according to the energy White Paper of 2015, fossil fuels will continue to play a role in future. Energy security is very important. If the pipeline to this country was stopped in the morning, I am sure the Deputy would be one of the first to speak about constituents not being able to heat themselves to keep warm.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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If the planet heats, there will be no security either.

Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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We face such scenarios. The Deputy mentioned the policies of countries in Europe and elsewhere. The EU's import dependency on petroleum and its product has increased from 74% in 1995 to 89% in 2015, and from 43% to 69% with respect to natural gas over the same period. There is a challenge across Europe and we are reliant on areas with unstable democracies in some cases for our energy security. It is why we are looking at alternatives and investing in renewables, as well as looking to reduce energy use in homes through SEAI grants. The policy is reflected in international agencies' work and the White Paper, which indicate that fossil fuels will play a part in our energy mix for a period.