Cabinet Committees
Dail Éireann — 2021-06-23
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

It will create jobs. The Deputy will try to recruit the people who get the jobs to her movement. That tends to be the cycle. To be serious about it, they are important jobs. In all of these operations, it is important that optimal practice pertains and prevails in respect of the minimisation of waste and the facilitation of the circular economy. The Minister will bring in legislation on the circular economy.
Regarding the EPA and fracked gas, we are opposed to fracked gas and the importation of it. The Government has been very clear on that. According to the European legal framework and the law in terms of single markets and competition and so on, individual member states cannot take unilateral actions in respect of enterprises. We have been very clear in our policy on LNG facilities. That remains the case. I do not necessarily agree with the Deputy in respect of electric vehicles, EVs. The target of 1 million was set in previous climate action plans. However, the dramatic impact of EVs on air quality will be enormous. Sometimes we lose sight of the air quality dimension of getting rid of fossil fuels. To me, as a former Minister for Health, it is essential.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2021-06-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:49:25+00:00
Sitting date: 2021-06-23