Section 6 makes provision for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, following approval by Government, to present an annual transition statement to Dáil Éireann. The annual statement will replace the carbon budget process introduced in 2007 and will better reflect the national policy on transition capturing the importance of the challenges and opportunities and addressing both mitigation and adaptation. I am aware of some deeply held views that Ireland should adopt a strict carbon budgeting process. However, as with the compliance based approach which we have adopted to date, I believe that carbon budgeting is too narrow. If introduced at a sectoral level, carbon budgeting could be divisive and damaging and a setback rather than a step forward in terms of policy development. It is worth bearing in mind that we have legally binding greenhouse gas emission budgets under EU law and I believe we should seek to build a progressive national position around thoserequirements rather than down-scale them to sectoral level. Transition may be novel and, in certain respects, more complex but in providing a positive long-term vision to which people and business can aspire, I believe it provides the greatest prospect for a successful outcome on environmental and economic grounds. The annual transition statement will set out the policy measures adopted for the purposes of supporting transition to a low-carbon economy and of adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change. It will include an assessment of the effectiveness of measures in place and, where appropriate, set out any additional measures required to maintain progress.