A €10 million mistake.

We all make mistakes.

I can see the motivation for the amendment but I do not propose to accept it. The agency in its operations has a specific, relatively limited role. It is about energy security and it has always been about the provision of 90 days' stock of oil. To be honest, the meetings and international obligations in that regard are relatively precise and do not go into the wider energy policy areas. That is appropriate. I agree with the Senator that the provisions of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act are important and that we must…

I am happy to give the Senator that commitment. I have a clear understanding of this not only for environmental reasons but also from the point of view of the State's strategic interests as a leader in decarbonisation and the switch to an alternative, community-orientated, sustainable, renewable, local energy supply system. I commit absolutely to keeping abreast of whatever is happening in this regard to make sure that that is how we are positioned.

What Senator Ward said about the consolidation of Bills is true in so many different ways. We may have to come back to this legislation in five or ten years as we move out of the fossil fuel era into an alternative where energy storage and security would be completely different. It may involve batteries, hydrogen or interconnection. We do not know that yet but in the interim, under international obligations and for our own interests, we need to maintain a certain strategic reserve of oil for transportation. I will …

I am happy to give that assurance if I can. I cannot see any circumstances where grant funding, in particular, would be available from the European Union or another outside body for a specific project and that it would be refused, particularly if it was recommended by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, but I will read the note I have for why we cannot accept this amendment. It would be outside of the normal legislative practice, purposes and scope of the Bill. My Department, the Depar…

It certainly will not. I would raise the issue very publicly if that was the case. I cannot see why we would-----

I thank the Senator. I cannot accept the amendment but I can give her the assurances that amendment No. 8 does that. It is envisaged that it will assist us in engaging with these issues. The first work to be done on a just transition will involve spending money on bog rehabilitation to create new jobs and alternative employment for workers who leave companies like Bord na Móna. I also signalled on Committee Stage in the Dáil that we would consider the introduction of some of the provisions suggested in an amendment…

This amendment amends section 15 on page 13. The amendment is being undertaken following discussions between my Department and the Office of the Attorney General. It was determined that an amendment to section 15 of the Bill by way of Committee Stage amendment would be appropriate in order to clarify the basis on which the Minister may support climate action projects. The aim of the amendment is to provide legal clarity beyond any doubt in support of the intent of the Bill that it will be possible for the Minister …

I do not propose to accept the amendment. The purpose of the Bill is to establish the climate action fund and provide for the use of surplus NORA levies to be paid to the fund to pay for climate action projects. There may be another mechanism to achieve the Senator's objectives. The programme for Government contains a commitment in respect of the establishment of a tax commission which, in my experience, would typically complete its work within a two-year period. When this energy transition takes place and, hopeful…

I do not propose to accept the amendment relating to palm oil being excluded as a biofuel for the purposes of the Act as it is outside the scope of the Bill. However, I do share the Senator's concerns regarding the use of palm oil as a feedstock in the production of biofuels. The risk in terms of the production of biofuels is that feedstock will be grown on cropland previously used to grow food or feed for livestock or is rich in biodiversity, with the consequent risk that agricultural production is moved to margin…

I absolutely commit that the implementation of the directive here does include the issue of the double counting of cooking oil. I was aware of the scandal that has emerged in this regard and certainly we will look to address this at the same time as we implement the other conditions in the directive.

I thank the Members of the Seanad for their support on this. The timing required is unfortunate. I very much appreciate the help given in order that we can avail of the timing to get it commenced on 1 August. I thank everyone for their help in that regard.

Does Deputy Whitmore not come in first? Do I respond now?

I think it might be appropriate and I can then answer both Deputies.

I am sorry if I was changing the order there in a sense. I apologise because I was unable to be in the Chamber for the Second Stage debate last night. It clashed with a Cabinet meeting that I had to attend. I was liaising with the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, and I gather it was a good debate. I hope we can continue that today. There is a critical timeline with this debate. The sooner we pass the legislation, the sooner we will be able to draw down funding for some of the solutions that we are going to discuss…

I will address each question in turn. First, with regard to Deputy Naughten, there is money in a bank. That cannot be touched. Under the Bill, the existing revenues will be provided for the ongoing operation of the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, in subsequent years in its core business in terms of oil stocks and that cannot be touched. We only get money for climate action when this Bill is enacted. If we do not do this this week or next week, that will be €10 million less for climate action.

The money is only available when the Bill is enacted and the sooner we enact the Bill, the sooner that money becomes available to us. It will not be drawn down for another year or six months - whatever time it takes us to draw the funds - but that money will not be there if we do not enact the Bill and we will lose that €10 million. If we do not enact it this week, we lose €10 million on climate action, which is why there is a time and pressure on it.

If I can finish the point, because I have five Deputies to answer-----

I am not misleading the House. I have five Deputies to answer. Maybe I was not clear to Deputies Whitmore and Naughten. I was not saying "No" to all the amendments, in the sense that specifically, there is sense behind amendment No. 11 and Deputy Whitmore's amendment No. 16. I see merit in what has been suggested there. What I intend to do is to come back in the drafting of the climate action Bill to see if we can incorporate it and amend, and that way we would still have access to that additional €10 million for c…