Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It would be remiss of me not to mention the climate action plan that we are all awaiting sight of to see if it will live up to our expectations in terms of delivering on our legally binding targets. I am hoping that there will be an element of consultation around the climate action plan. We do not have a good reputation in this country of consulting with people, whether it is on planning matters, forestry or renewable energy. We seem to baulk at the thought of asking people for their opinions. This leads to us getting caught up in courts and judicial reviews and delays because one cannot stop people wanting to have their say about what is happening in their lives and in their communities.

It is interesting that even with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021 we had to fight tooth and nail to have it undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. We at least managed to strengthen the Bill, but when it came before the committee we had to fight to have obligations for public consultation included. I was minded to mention that those of us who attended that committee heard from eminent experts such as Dr. Aine Ryall, who were at pains to emphasise how important consultation is when it comes to climate action. Consultation is not about delaying; it is about a two-way dialogue which should be ongoing and inclusive.I am particularly interested to see if there will be a just transition commission in the climate action plan, because that would facilitate that dialogue to be ongoing, to make sure that we are meeting our targets, and to make sure that we are assessing as we go the impacts on different communities. That would allow us to adjust and mitigate any negative impacts that are happening.

I would also like to raise the disappointing news that Equinor, our leading offshore wind developer, has decided to pull out of the Irish market. It will probably be a real spanner in the works for the development of our hydrogen strategy. I again point out the issue of consultation. We must not fall into the trap, because Equinor is saying that it is about the regulatory framework. We have a marine framework coming. That needs to happen. The marine protected zones also need to happen. However, we cannot allow wind companies to try to undermine the process in the meantime.

I would like to finish by encouraging all the Members of the House to come to the Garden of Remembrance at 12 noon on Saturday for the COP26 Coalition. It is calling for greater ambition to come out of the COP26 talks. Its demands are simple: green jobs; a just transition; free, green and frequent public transport; a moratorium on data centres; a ban on liquefied natural gas, LNG; and sustainable agriculture and fisheries communities. I am sure everybody would agree with all of those demands. I look forward to seeing Members on Saturday.