Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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Question 86: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the reason he was informing members of the public, as recently as 21 October 2011, that climate change legislation would be published in 2012, when the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government had told IBEC on 5 October that national climate policy may benefit from support through legislation, as signalled in the programme for Government, but that is a matter for another day, the first priority is completing the climate policy review and the follow-up steps in terms of charting a course to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34237/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland will meet its greenhouse gas target for the purposes of the Kyoto Protocol in the commitment period 2008-2012. Further targets for the 2013-2020 period, which are binding under EU law, will be challenging and it is in light of this challenge, inter alia, that the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government is asking the secretariat to the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) to assist in formulating policy on how the target will be met. All stakeholders will be consulted in the policy development process. I believe this pragmatic approach is important so that any legislation that is produced is robust and has cross-sector support. In line with the Programme for Government and as indicated in the Government Legislation Programme published in September, the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government has indicated that 2012 is the earliest expected date before any legislation can be published, taking account of the need to progress the broader climate policy agenda under the aegis of the Cabinet Committee on Climate Change and the Green Economy.