Michael McCarthy (Labour)

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley, is travelling to Bali to negotiate the successor to the Kyoto Protocol, so I will raise the issue of climate change. This is very important and not just to Ireland. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact we are an island nation and climate change will affect us in different ways.

My party has called for an integrated approach across Departments on the issue and we have asked that a national forum on climate change be established. I wish the Minister well on his endeavour in Bali but I would appreciate it if we would discuss climate change in this House when he is finished there.

I record my appreciation to the Marine Institute and Met Éireann for their very accurate predictions last week of the 14 m waves which hit the south and west coast.