Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Ward for his comments. They are very reasonable proposals. I recognise that the Government parties might not be able to support this amendment today, but the Minister should consider the constructive proposals Senator Ward has put forward. We should not be waiting for ten or 20 years. The Minister knows he has four or five years in government ahead of him and we should look to have started a sustainable energy reserve fund by the end of that time. It is not simply that we are waiting for the landscape to change or that we are dealing with the downstream element.We need to be ambitious regarding systemic change.

For example, my minor amendment would ensure that someone with sustainable energy and-or climate energy expertise is on the board of NORA and that person would be familiar with how a reserve agency operated. It might be someone skilled in a future sustainable energy reserve, which we may wish to have. This is about laying down arrows towards and ambition for the future, so we are not waiting for a full shift in the landscape. I refer to laying down the expertise, the skills and the conversations that will allow joined-up thinking. The climate action fund is wonderful and everybody supports it, but it is simply a product of NORA. I refer, however, to the operations of NORA and changing systems. As well as adding new things, we also need to change and challenge some of what we were doing before.

In that context, I am afraid I need to press this amendment. I realise I will probably lose, but it is important to press the amendment because I am trying to send a signal to every agency in this State, and most particularly to those in the very delicate areas that impact on climate, that this is a consideration to be taken on board. We cannot leave well enough alone on anything. Everything will need to change and this is a small practical step towards getting relevant skills, analysis and expertise into the room, which will help us make that change in a just and sensible way.