Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements
Dail Éireann — 2022-11-29
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Bríd Smith (PBP), Dublin South-Central

Today, a young man from UCD Ronan Browne is taking the drastic action of a hunger and thirst strike to force some action on climate change. I support that young man. The behaviour of the Irish State has not inspired the young generation who are extremely worried about the future. There is a glaring contradiction between what the Taoiseach says and what he does. I previously asked him about the stance Ireland took on the directive on corporate sustainability and due diligence. The Taoiseach reported that he campaigned for it, but that he needed to strike a balance. I asked him if those directives would require finance companies to be as responsible as the rest of us are meant to be over the climate. This morning I got a letter back from the Taoiseach in which he said that he wanted to strike an objective balance but did not say what that balance is.
Does that mean that finance companies have the right to make profits over and above the enforcement of corporate sustainability in the climate? Could the Taoiseach please clarify?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-11-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:51:21+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-11-29