Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

-----extraordinary. This brings me on to my next point on the announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency last week.The EPA noted that we will probably miss the EU 2020 climate commitment by more than 90%, a staggering margin which shows that the State is nowhere near to being on track to meeting Paris Agreement obligations. This will hurt citizens most, resulting in penalties running to the hundreds of millions. I am sure that the Minister will respond that these figures do not take into account commitments in the Government's climate plan. We have to remember that the EPA announcement is just the latest in a decade-long list of warnings that Ireland's emissions are hurtling in the wrong direction. Can we expect any sort of immediate response from the Government, when all previous EPA reports seem to have been consistently ignored? I appeal to the Minister to meet the EPA to discuss these issues with it, because it is vitally important. Will the Minister set out precisely how his Department is responding to information from the EPA? How does EPA expertise inform policy-making? Will the Minister provide information on how the national energy and climate plan required by the EU will be updated in light of the EPA's announcement?

Ireland has been left with a climate laggard status primarily since key Ministers and Departments have not been held to account. The Government has taken one necessary step with the organisation of a new climate delivery board. However, we have not seen any of the other measures to improve accountability and governance, despite commitments to the Joint Committee on Climate Action. Will the Minister set out specifically when we will see a Bill introduced with a net zero target and carbon budgets? When will Cabinet procedures be updated to ensure that Government memorandums align with climate obligations? When will budgetary rules be changed so that Votes of Departments take account of the cost to the Exchequer of purchasing emissions allowances? When will the repeatedly delayed national clean air strategy be published? Those are all issues which the Minister should look at and respond to. It would be useful if the Minister could refer to the specific month that these measures will be introduced and not merely the year. These actions may not sound exciting but without them the Government's climate plan is more like a climate promise than climate progress.

Regarding the severe impact of climate change, about which the Minister appears to be largely ignorant, I would also like to add that we cannot leave a generation of workers behind or expect those already struggling to shoulder the challenge. This is the responsibility of Government. A just transition needs to reach across every part of the country into every household, particularly the most vulnerable and those at risk of fuel poverty, which the Minister has mentioned in his speech. The Minister has finally taken the welcome step of partially responding to recommendations of the committee by appointing a just transition commissioner with €6 milIion now dedicated to a just transition fund to support the midlands and other relevant areas. This is certainly a step in the right direction. However, the Government is presiding over a decarbonisation programme in the midlands that is happening much quicker than any investment in the region despite years of warnings. There are still many outstanding questions which we are seeking answers to. Will the Minister inform the House when the appointment of the commission will take place? How will the independence of the chair be ensured and when will all relevant stakeholders be involved?

As my colleague, Deputy Cowen, stated, it is also important that people are aware that this new just transition fund was not created exclusively for Bord na Móna. It is for the communities and the local economies which will undoubtedly suffer from the closures. It is only right that the configuration of how the transition fund is rolled out is decided by people on the ground. Will the Minister provide information on decision-making in relation to the just transition fund and confirm that supports and funding will be made available to both workers and communities before further job losses occur?

Regarding budget 2020, it is also essential that additional funding for the warmer homes scheme and the fuel allowance reaches the most vulnerable in rural areas. It is especially disappointing that the Government has failed to undertake the necessary examination of fuel poverty across the country despite previous commitments. The Minister has previously stated that the expanded warmer homes scheme will be delivered to householders through an aggregated model and co-ordinated by a new task force chaired by his Department. How will this approach ensure that retrofitting of social housing is prioritised? A recommendation from Fianna Fáil in the Joint Committee on Climate Action was the establishment of a one-stop shop in each local authority to engage in outreach and to act as a repository for information for local communities. Fianna Fáil, on returning to government, will give climate action priority in the next Administration.