Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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203. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the Climate Action Advisory Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37419/21]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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204. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the 2020 annual transition statement will be published as required by section 14(1) of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37420/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Annual Transition Statement (ATS), established under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, serves an important function in providing an overview of climate change mitigation and adaptation policy measures adopted to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and to adapt to the effects of climate change in order to enable the achievement of the national transition objective. In this regard, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill 2021, which will amend the 2015 Act, will significantly strengthen the statutory framework for governance of the climate challenge, and ensure delivery of successive Climate Action Plans and Long-term Climate Strategies, supported by a system of carbon budgeting and sectoral targets with appropriate oversight by Government, the Oireachtas and a new Climate Change Advisory Council.

The Bill will introduce greater accountability arrangements with an enhanced role for the Oireachtas – Ministers will have to give account for their performance towards sectoral targets and actions before an Oireachtas Committee each year replacing the current Annual Transition Statement process.

In accordance with the 2015 Act, I propose to prepare an Annual Transition Statement for 2020 which I intend to publish later this year.