I understand the Minister's beliefs and I think he holds them sincerely, but they clash with the continued push from many Deputies and people outside this House, such as local councillors and other business interests, for the LNG terminal at Shannon. An Bord Pleanála will make a decision on that soon. I would argue that the board has been hugely compromised in recent weeks, according to information that has come out about board members. Let us call it for what it is. This will be money-grubbing based on the likely …

Do I get to come back in?

I will pay attention to the number of times I come in this time.

Okay. I will follow up on an earlier line of argument in the context of how we are falling short of our commitments in respect of our emissions reduction targets. Yesterday’s EPA report shows that we are falling well short of what is in the climate action plan, which is law. Friends of the Earth issued a number of statements yesterday and did a very good job in pointing out many problems that exist, including that coal use has increased to meet growing electricity demand. That demand comes, in particular, data cent…

The emphasis here is on what you choose to pick out of it. Friends of the Earth is right. The amount of energy from the national grid used by data centres is absolutely shocking. It currently stands at around 14% and is set to rise to 30% by 2030. These kind of figures are unbelievable. The Minister seems to live in a fantastical world where, on the one hand, the Chair of the climate committee believes that we need more data centres if we have no more renewables but where, on the other, the problem is cows and cars…

I will sum matters up by saying that any attempt to develop an LNG terminal in this country will be met with the ire of the climate movement that the Minister once represented. I feel he will let the members of that movement down in vast numbers if this development goes ahead. It cannot just be down to an energy review and An Bord Pleanála; it has to be down to our national and global climate commitments and obligations. If we have power outages because of the data centres taking too much power from our national gr…

I speak in favour of Deputy Whitmore's amendments. The Minister will verbally agree that the idea of a just transition is not an optional extra but must be central to everything we do on climate action and the environment. On Committee Stage, however, he stated that a definition of just transition was not agreed for the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 and it would not be appropriate to include it in this Bill either. That is a mistake and it speaks to a fundamental misunderstanding of…

We would like to acknowledge that the Minister has made significant changes and we welcome that. It is a stronger and wider definition than the first draft. However, we still have concerns and would like to see the actual responsibility placed on manufacturers and producers. The current wording seems to suggest that the same practices, that is, the unsustainable use of materials and so on, can continue, with an emphasis solely on efficiency and usage. We think it needs to be wider and to signal the end of the possi…

I move amendment No. 4: In page 7, between lines 27 and 28, to insert the following: “(d) and where the manufacturer or producer of the goods, products and materials concerned is held accountable and financially liable for the costs associated with their recovery and regeneration;”

I support Deputy Sherlock's attempt to get a waiver for vulnerable people. Once upon a time, there was a waiver for vulnerable and elderly people and people who lived on the poverty incomes of social protection. Those who remember the days of opposition to bin charges will recall that they were opposed precisely on this basis. If charges were brought in and the private sector was competing for this service, these were the exact sorts of measures, aimed at helping the vulnerable and poorest in our society, that woul…

I tabled amendment No. 16. Again, in general terms, I welcome the Government's amendment and will withdraw my amendment. We sought an annual review as a way of evaluating the outcomes and progress and we hope the Minister's wording will achieve this.

I move amendment No. 16: In page 11, to delete lines 3 to 5 and substitute the following: “(8) The Minister shall prepare a review on an annual basis, to evaluate outcomes against stated deliverables of the circular economy strategy, including any relevant data on progress, barriers to progress and recommendations on adjustment of the circular economy strategy or other measures, including financial measures, to address any such barriers or shortfalls as may be identified by the review. (9) The circular economy stra…

I move amendment No. 18: In page 20, after line 41, to insert the following: “(e) food contact materials in which perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used;”. We wanted there to be included in this section a specific ban on a range of products such as single-use cups, plastic bags and so on because recent research, particularly from the US, has shown that food contact with the chemical substances used in these products is very dangerous. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS,…

I move amendment No. 20: In page 21, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following: “(2) Within the first national food waste prevention strategy, the Minister shall set annual food waste reduction targets, sector by sector, to reach the 50 per cent food waste reduction target by 2030, based on 2020 food waste figures.”.

I move amendment No. 22: In page 22, between lines 1 and 2, to insert the following: “(4) The Minister shall prepare a review on an annual basis, to evaluate outcomes against stated deliverables of the national food waste prevention strategy, based on data collected from all food sectors and waste industry, and provide recommendations on the adjustment of the national food waste prevention strategy or other measures, including financial measures, to address any barriers or shortfalls as may be identified by the rev…

I ask the Ceann Comhairle to list the amendments he is calling out there.

Is it possible to comment on that whole section? We have a bit of time now.

As it happens, I was very ill the day the committee discussed it but it is extraordinary that such a large portion of a Bill on the circular economy is given over to CCTV, drone footage and the issue of illegal dumping. I am aware it is a huge problem but it is also one that needs to be targeted at businesses and corporate transgressions. The nuts and bolts of setting up surveillance itself may lead to the mushrooming of a surveillance industry. Ironically, this could see sophisticated digital machinery manufacturi…

Can we have a quick discussion in the few minutes that are left on the last section of the Bill?

Exactly.