Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It might frame whether she presses one or both. The Senator suggested that individual Departments should be responsible individually. They are. The lead Department, however, is the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. There is a Cabinet committee on climate change, climate action and a just transition of any carbon effects and challenges, particularly new charges we may have. The climate action committee is chaired by Deputy Bruton. I sit on it, as do Deputies McHugh and Zappone. I will provide the Senator with a list of the members. We have an action plan and bimonthly meetings to determine the outcomes and the actions arising from each of us.

However, while I might not like this, the purpose of my Department is income support. It is the largest Department that makes payments. Aside from employment and activation, that is what it does. It is an income support Department. It does not determine policy. It does not pay fuel allowance because it determined that people were in fuel poverty but as an income support towards the costs of households that have no other income aside from what comes from the Department. The household benefits package was established to ease the costs of running a household when people reached pensionable age. They are income supports; they do not have a policy drive. The Department is just the agent for the payment of the supports.

The whole-of-government approach will have to come from, and is already being driven by, the climate action Cabinet committee led by Deputy Bruton. His Department will take the lead on how we will address the housing stock and ensure it comes up to A and B ratings of home heating security and how we will address the needs of people to offset any increases in a carbon tax that might increase their household budgets. I have no problem with playing my part but I cannot do a report on something for the Senator and provide her with something comprehensive when it does not have anything to do with my Department, other than it providing its financial supports.