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Today, 23 January 2012, Minister Phil Hogan, T.D., issued a work programme setting out the steps and milestones for the development of national climate policy and legislation.

The programme of work was today also sent to the Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht as part of the follow-up to the Minister’s meeting with the Committee in December. In issuing the work programme, the Minister said, "I foresee a central role for the Joint Committee in the policy development process, most importantly on the critical issue of coming to a clear national understanding of how we will meet our binding EU and wider-international mitigation commitments, as well as pursuing our national objectives in a low-carbon global economy." This role for the Committee was also reflected in the Government’s legislative programme for the Spring 2012 parliamentary session.

The work programme for policy development, including legislation covers the next 18 months (copy attached). The principal milestones include:

- a public consultation which will take place in the first half of 2012;

- in the second half of the year, the publication of an initial report by the NESC Secretariat on potential climate policies and measures (to be completed by end June 2012) and the development of heads of a Climate Bill for consideration by the Committee following Government approval (end-2012); and

- the consideration of the end-2012 final report by the NESC Secretariat and the heads of Bill by the Committee in the first half of 2013.

The Minister also reiterated his commitment to an open and transparent process involving all stakeholders. "A successful way forward for Ireland lies in structured dialogue on the range of views that exists across society, on an open and inclusive basis, and this will be facilitated at various points in the course of this work programme, beginning with the open consultation I will initiate next month" the Minister said.