Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The proposed amendment would remove from the EPA the function of providing what are essentially back-office, administrative support services to the climate change advisory council. If the proposal were to be accepted, there still would be a requirement to provide such services and supports which, presumably, would mean establishing the advisory council as a body corporate with its own back-office staff and resources and all that goes with it. That is unnecessary. In the first instance, it would be contrary to the Government's policy of reducing the number of public sector agencies in the interests of reducing administrative costs and consolidating back-office services. In addition, it would represent an inefficient use of available resources, given that the EPA can provide those back-office services at a fraction of the cost of establishing a new agency.

I assure the Senators there is no cynical intent. What we have set out is purely in the interests of efficiency and administrative ease. There is no fear of encroachment on the work of the advisory council by the agency, as the former is explicitly guaranteed its independence under section 11(3) of the Bill. Moreover, the advisory council has been established on a non-statutory basis pending enactment of the legislation, with the EPA already providing its support services. In fact, these arrangements are operating very well in terms of facilitating the core work of the council. Therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment.