National Oil Reserve Agency (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-25
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Jennifer Whitmore (SD), Wicklow

I do not understand the difference between the Climate Action Fund and the NORA levy that funds it and the carbon tax. It is really important that the Government has stood strong with the carbon tax and it is being very clear that it is to be ring-fenced for climate action. Only today, in the Dáil, the Taoiseach was highly critical of Sinn Féin and the fact that Sinn Féin continually asked for the carbon tax to be scrapped or reduced. Indeed, what the Taoiseach said was that it "is essential to guarantee ring-fenced funding for the retrofitting of homes, the warmer homes initiative and the retrofitting of local authority housing, all of which will help working people to permanently reduce their bills into the future." The Taoiseach described Sinn Féin as being "hypocritical" to call for a reduction in carbon tax. It is hypocritical of the Government to say that the carbon tax is fundamental to our climate ambitions and our climate action while at the same time reducing the NORA levy in a way that it could possibly be done over 18 months without bringing it back to the floor of the Dáil or without bringing it to a committee. It is a decision for the Government, through the Cabinet, that the Minister could do that and take up to €200 million out of the Climate Action Fund. I cannot square that circle.
They are very similar funds, in my opinion, and it is important to protect both of them. I can understand, as a short-term two-month measure, reducing the NORA levy, but this could potentially extend it. I know the Minister says that is not his intention, that is not the point and this is a sunset clause, but the effect of this sunset clause will mean that we will not have to debate this again. The Minister will not have to report back to the Dáil and that is concerning.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:47+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-25