Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to divide the proposed new legal regime for climate policy into two pieces of legislation, namely the Low Carbon Bill and the Climate Change Bill as referenced by the Taoiseach on 22 January 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5077/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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I refer to the reply to Prior ity Question No. 132 on today’s order paper. As I stated in that reply, I see a central role for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht in the policy development process. That is why, in drafting the Programme for the development of national policy and legislation, I earmarked a significant period of time for the Joint Committee to reflect on the outline Heads of the Bill and the policy analysis undertaken by the NESC Secretariat. In view of the short period of additional time which I am taking before issuing the outline Heads of the Low Carbon Development Bill , I appreciate that the Committee may need some extra time to complete its consideration of the issues and submit its report , and I will raise this matter with the Chairman when I am referring the outline Heads to the Committee. As I indicated in the policy development Programme, the Committee’s report will be a key input to the Government‘s deliberations on finalising a national policy position on transition to a low carbon future and the introduction of climate legislation. I look forward to engaging with the Committee in its work and to receiving its report in due course.