There are two grounds for revising the target. One is where there is new scientific advice demonstrating more is needed and the other is where a new international agreement is entered into with a higher level of ambition. It is not foreseen that the climate change advisory council would take a policy role where it would set a higher level of ambition than is set by the 51% figure. The 51% figure is incredibly ambitious and it will be extremely hard to meet it. We saw reductions in emissions, even during a year of l…

Do I get more time afterward?

I will summarise my basic point on this. It is unusual for primary legislation to direct-----

Senator Boyhan has proposed an amendment that suggests that it be a requirement for Dáil Éireann to refer a carbon budget to a joint committee to consider. My problem with that is that I do not feel it is appropriate for our legislation to legislate requirements on to one of the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is also a highly unusual thing to do. How the Oireachtas conducts its business is a matter for Standing Orders. For that reason, we drafted it as a suggestion. Even then, that is unusual. The Bill states that th…

I am a little confused. I think amendments Nos. 101 to 103, inclusive, to which Senator Higgins was referring, are not grouped with amendments Nos. 96 to 98.

The membership of the Climate Change Advisory Council, CCAC, has changed greatly since the 2015 Act and there have already been appointments in that regard. Section 9 of the Act provides that the CCAC membership will have expertise in at least one of a number of areas of expertise relevant to the work of the CCAC. That list now includes climate science, transport, energy and agriculture policy, behavioural and communication services, biodiversity, ecosystems, climate adaptation, economics, finance, political sociol…

The committees do not have a vote and their work will be taken forward by the council.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." We are here today to discuss the legislation that will give effect to some of the decisions announced on 1 June as part of the Government's economic plan, which sets out a new phase of supports for this next stage of recovery as businesses reopen. In the past few weeks, it has been possible to ease restrictions as more and more citizens, including the most vulnerable, are vaccinated. A more cautious approach is being taken for the next phase of reopening following …

I was expecting other speakers.

I ask the Ceann Comhairle to bear with me for a minute.

The Leas-Chathaoirleach and the Senators have come all of this way so I believe I should say a quick few words. I thank all Members, both in the Dáil and in the Seanad, for helping this Bill to progress and to pass today. I particularly thank the Opposition for taking a co-operative approach. This Bill does not affect the conduct of industrial relations, nor does it place any restriction on the industrial relations process. Careful note has been taken of the matters relating to public service pay. I am pleased that…

I welcome the Deputy raising this matter. I agree with his assertion that it is possible to achieve both goals of maintaining a sustainable agrifood sector and achieving very ambitious carbon reductions. The programme for Government contains a commitment to an annual average 7% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to 2030, representing a 51% reduction over the decade. To meet these ambitions, we must reduce the level of carbon emissions across all sectors of our economy, including in the agrifood sector. Irish agr…

I assure the Deputy that engagement is absolutely key and necessary, and that we cannot achieve what we are trying to do here without the engagement from the farmers. The farmers are the environmental experts. They have been watching climate change happening before their eyes. They know better than anyone else what is happening. They have also seen their incomes under threat. It is so important. We cannot achieve these changes unless we give farmers and people who work in the agrifood industry a way out. They need …

I welcome this question. I understand the significance and I acknowledge the importance of these routes to the Deputy's county and to the public he represents. These routes are under consideration and have not been finalised, and this is the right time to raise these concerns. Once funding arrangements have been put in place through the Department of Transport under the Roads Act 1993-2015, the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, in c…

I thank the Deputy. He will know the area better than I do. I take his point that there is a serious bottleneck and that Tipperary town needs a bypass. A bypass can, of course, be transformative. I know the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is keen to provide towns with that relief so that they do not have trucks and cars trundling through them and can instead become more vibrant. The Deputy is right to pursue that. I also take the Deputy's points about going into greenfield areas. That is something to watch. The national dev…

I welcome the opportunity to respond to the question posed in the Deputy’s Topical Issue matter and to acknowledge the genuine concerns of people in the midlands about the transition, the major changes in the economy and the funding that is there for it. In the programme for Government we copper-fastened support targeted towards the midlands to support a just transition. There is a major amount of money involved in funding that, but as in any project which involves hundreds of millions in funding over a decade ther…

Yes.

The Deputy is right that the ESB has a key role, and it is important that my Department engages and continues to engage with the ESB on the future of the midlands. I will address specifically the Shannonbridge and Lanesborough power plants and what their future is. The just transition commissioner made a recommendation in the first progress report in May 2020 that a study be undertaken on the future potential of ESB power stations at Lanesborough and Shannonbridge for the establishment of a dedicated energy hub in …

I wish to thank the Deputies for the engaging debate. I would like to start by addressing some of the points that were made by Deputies, not all of whom are still present in the Chamber. In response to Deputy Martin Browne, I wish to put it on the record that there is a member of the board of the NWCI who is also on the Pensions Commission. In response to Deputies Seán Crowe and Munster, the Government has no plans in place to increase the State pension age at all. The Government removed the legislation that would …

The Senator is correct. There has been a lot of disinformation, not all of which has been intentional. Sometimes, ideas start to float around and need to be clarified so I thank the Senator for bringing this issue to the attention of the House. I always welcome the opportunity to speak in the Seanad. As the Senator is aware, an EU digital Covid certificate is digital proof that a person has been vaccinated against Covid-19, has received a negative test result or has recovered from Covid-19. There are three separate…