Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I cannot accept the amendment but I can give her the assurances that amendment No. 8 does that. It is envisaged that it will assist us in engaging with these issues. The first work to be done on a just transition will involve spending money on bog rehabilitation to create new jobs and alternative employment for workers who leave companies like Bord na Móna.I also signalled on Committee Stage in the Dáil that we would consider the introduction of some of the provisions suggested in an amendment from Deputy Whitmore with regard to community resilience as an example of a project that could be considered. I indicated that because of the timelines involved in this Bill I would be looking to draft a possible amendment that we might include in the climate action Bill when we introduce it later in the year and that might provide further assurances.

I have one other reflection. I do not disagree with what the Senator said. I cannot accept the amendment because I am concerned about affecting the ability to implement the legislation by 1 August and draw down the funding. There is a third category. Sometimes we will have projects that are purely environmental in nature. We should not be afraid of identifying them as subjects. Sometimes, for example with bog rehabilitation, the actual practice itself is an environmental project as well as a societal and economic one.

I cannot accept the amendment, but I hope Government amendment No. 8 will address some of the Senator's concerns and that the promised further revisions to incorporate community resilience as one of the objectives may also allay some of her concerns.