Results 2,801-2,820 of 8,245 for speaker:Bríd Smith

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 16: In page 6, to delete lines 31 to 33 and substitute the following: "'climate neutral economy' means a sustainable economy and society where greenhouse gas emissions are balanced or exceeded by the removal of greenhouse gases by nature based solutions with no reliance on the purchase of carbon credits, off-sets or other market based mechanisms or unproven...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: While it certainly does not explicitly include offsetting, the Bill leaves it wide open. It is a very weak provision, which is why propose to insert the sentence in the amendment. The Bill is very weak and while it does not exclude offsetting, it could, by definition, leave it in. We should set about excluding offsets and carbon credits and remove any possibility of them being used to...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: This amendment is in recognition of the campaigning done up and down the country against liquified natural gas, LNG, of which the Minister is aware. This is a recognition that it is a very important issue. I am aware that we will deal with it in the rapporteur's report and we will have a different conversation about it in the committee, but we need to deal with it in the Bill. We must...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 18: In page 6, between lines 33 and 34, to insert the following: “ ‘complete decarbonisation’ means zero energy emissions, combined with nature-based solutions that enhance biodiversity to sequester greenhouse gases from sectors where some emissions remain inevitable;”. There could be different versions of "net zero". The term does not...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: On the question of just transition and taxes, what is happening is an attempt to tax people's behaviour without making alternatives available to them. Pushing up carbon taxes for ordinary people is pushing up their heating bills. Some people have poorly insulated homes, by any standards, and cannot afford to have them retrofitted. Bringing in the taxes first, without addressing that...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 20: In page 6, between lines 35 and 36, to insert the following: “ ‘Just Transition’ means a transition to complete decarbonisation which: (a) ensures that communities and individuals adversely affected by the move to complete decarbonisation are supported and provided with work and opportunities that retain their livelihoods and standards of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: 43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will conduct a review of the possible climate impact and specifically the impact on global greenhouse gas emissions and on Ireland's targets for emission reductions nationally of the State endorsing all aspects of the CETA agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13298/21]

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Trade Agreements (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: 64. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will conduct a review of the implications for the climate goal of Ireland especially targets committed to in the Paris Treaty including the impact on global emissions of GHGs as a result of Ireland endorsing the CETA trade deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1481/21]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Inquiry into the Death of Mr. Shane O'Farrell (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: 139. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress made to date in relation to the scoping inquiry into the killing of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30216/21]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: 252. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the full savings to the State from changes made to public sector pensions since 2009 to date including the savings from the public service pension reduction on pensioners and the pension related deduction and additional superannuation contribution on serving staff; and the full savings to the State in each year from contributions...

Written Answers — Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection: State Pensions (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: 307. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full savings to the State of changes to the contributory and non-contributory pension entitlements, for example, as a result of changes in bands for contributory pensions, the ending of the transition pension and other changes which resulted in State savings in each year since 2009, in tabular form. [30329/21]

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 24: In page 7, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following: “ ‘non-territorial emissions’ means emissions attributable to activity or consumption within the State but which are produced outside the State and for the purposes of this Act shall include GHG emissions from aviation and shipping attributable to activities within this state which...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: The amendment was almost won.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 29: In page 7, between lines 6 and 7, to insert the following: “ ‘sustainable’, in relation to energy projects, means energy projects that contribute to full life-cycle emissions reductions and supports the back-up of renewable energy generation;”,”. This speaks to a discussion we will have, and have had on and off, about energy...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 31: In page 7, to delete lines 8 to 10 and substitute the following: “ ‘emissions’ means, in relation to greenhouse gases, emissions of those gases into the earth’s atmosphere attributable to industrial, agricultural, energy or other anthropogenic activities in the State, or attributable to the state from non territorial emissions including...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I am sorry, but what did the Minister say?

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: Yes, because I do not agree with that. We can absolutely legislate for non-territorial emissions attributable to use in this State.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: I move amendment No. 33: In page 7, lines 13 and 14, to delete “or technological”. The amendment is self-explanatory. It seeks to delete the word "technological" from the definition.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: Before we leave this, could we get some explanation as to why these amendments were ruled out of order? I am a bit puzzled by that.

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (3 Jun 2021)

Bríd Smith: In a way the Minister is agreeing with me that the removal of the word "technological" would highlight the role of the nature-based solutions. Surely that is the way we should be going because technological solutions do not exist. If the Minister will pardon me for saying so, it is a bit of an excuse on his part to have a get-out clause and to rely on something in the future that we do not...