Results 401-420 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Funding (29 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 92 together. The Climate Action Fund was established on a statutory basis in 2020 to provide support for projects, initiatives and research that contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s climate and energy targets, and for projects and initiatives in regions of the State, and within sectors of the economy, impacted by the transition to a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (30 Jun 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Question refers to a premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention. I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network...

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." We are here today to discuss the legislation that will give effect to some of the decisions announced on 1 June as part of the Government's economic plan, which sets out a new phase of supports for this next stage of recovery as businesses reopen. In the past few weeks, it has been possible to ease restrictions as more and more citizens,...

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I was expecting other speakers.

Finance (Covid-19 and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Second Stage (1 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I ask the Ceann Comhairle to bear with me for a minute.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (1 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I refer to the reply to Question 31323 of 15 June 2021. The position is unchanged.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank all the Senators for being here and for having me in their Chamber. The point was made that many people are seen wearing the badge of sustainable development goals - they are talking the talk but are they walking the walk? Senator Higgins proposes two amendments in this regard. The sustainable development goals are not directly referenced, that is true, within the climate Bill....

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank the Senator for making her points so well. The SDGs are, as she said, not legally binding but the Paris Agreement is and it refers to them. The Paris Agreement is directly referred to in this legislation. We should also bear in mind the SDGs are time-bound to 2030 whereas this is legislation focused on 2050 and as such it goes beyond that date. The SDGs will be referred to in the...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senators for their contributions. These amendments are grouped because they all seek to add to the list of concepts to which the Minister and the Government must have regard when they are making national, long-term climate action strategy, sector emissions ceilings, preparing climate plans and so on. There are 18 concepts listed. That list was the result of recommendations from the...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thank Senator Higgins for tabling these amendments. What the amendments are trying to achieve is to avoid the pitfall or difficulty to which the 2015 Act gave rise in the context of how it was interpreted court. The Senator believes that the same language is used in this Bill and that it will be affected by the same problems as a result.I was listening to the Senator's argument but I am...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thought we were changing "Government". It is "Minister of Government" and "Government of Ireland". To address the fear that the Bill will have the same wording problem that arose in court with the 2015 legislation, it is worth saying that the new 2021 legislation is very different and has substantially different requirements and obligations that are much more onerous on the Minister and...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: This is not just about section 3(3). It also involves section 4(8) and the 18 matters listed therein. It would be duplication and it is not necessary to include it because it is already covered.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I thanks Senator Boyhan for his contribution. I know that he is on the Agricultural Panel and takes a keen interest in the role of agriculture in all of this. As he pointed out, I represent him as a Deputy in the Dáil and he represents me, so we have that strange relationship.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: We have discussed this already but I will go back into it again. I thank Senator Boylan for making her points. The role of Government throughout the climate Bill is central to the operation of the Bill. There are great changes between this Bill and the previous Bill. The overall target is set in the legislation and this is something of which the Government will need to have clear...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: Briefly, making sure the legislation is justiciable is an important tool. Taking legal action against a Government to try to force it to do things is a reasonable thing to do but it is insufficient. My fear is that in the past decade, having legal obligations and even fines was not enough to make change happen. We also need a focus on the actions, the monitoring and the yearly...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I welcome Senator Higgins’s concern that the 51% reduction target could somehow be missed. The relevant subsection is (5). The Senator thinks there is a loophole in it and it is possible for a 51% reduction not to be made in the first two carbon budgets, which will cover the period up to December 2030. The subsection states "The first two carbon budgets proposed by the Advisory...

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: To clarify, is it section 6D, dealing with the revision of carbon budgets, that the Senator is concerned with, or is it more about the amendment of the budgets?

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: I am sure Senator Higgins knows it is possible to go beyond 51% and the Bill provides two reasons for that.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: The Senator is arguing that the advisory council should be allowed to go to 60% or 55% if it wants to choose an ambition that is higher than 51%.

Seanad: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed) (5 Jul 2021)

Ossian Smyth: There are two grounds for revising the target. One is where there is new scientific advice demonstrating more is needed and the other is where a new international agreement is entered into with a higher level of ambition. It is not foreseen that the climate change advisory council would take a policy role where it would set a higher level of ambition than is set by the 51% figure. The 51%...