Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will be brief in response. One of the reasons this is important is because the bodies with which the Bill anticipates the delivery board engaging are involved in many things, such as rural, social and cultural development, employment, and enterprise and tourism, but again, environmental or heritage bodies are not mentioned in this context. The Bill refers to "including such bodies". I signal now that I may on Report Stage look to specify that the bodies with which the board will engage may include bodies in the areas of heritage and environment.

I have been tracking the sustainable development goals. We seem to simply be saying they are both everywhere and nowhere. They need to be everywhere. Too often we are told they influence everything so we do not need to include them in legislation. It seems the attitude is that because we are so committed to those goals, we do not need to mention them again. We find they are not included in many parts of our policy and are not so reflected because they are sitting somewhere else. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Environment and Climate Action which is responsible for scrutiny of the sustainable development goals. Many Departments, not to mention local authorities, think the inclusion of those goals is somebody else's job. We need to make it clear it is everybody's job and must be named as part of everybody's job. I am going to take it in good faith that the Minister will engage on those issues. It will be a big missing piece if there is nothing in this legislation on the environment, sustainability or biodiversity. It has to come through. I wanted to say that to be clear that, on Report Stage, I may or may not bring these amendments again but I will be seeking to ensure the bodies engaged with include relevant environmental and heritage bodies. I am happy to liaise with the Minister to ensure the bodies I recommend are ones he believes to be appropriate.