FG accuses Government of missing climate change deadlines

Fine Gael has accused the Government of missing more than half of the deadlines set for 2007 in its National Climate Change Strategy.

According to information contained in parliamentary questions asked by Fine Gael energy spokesman Simon Coveney, just six actions that were supposed to have been achieved in 2007 were completed on time.

The actions that reportedly failed to meet their deadlines included:

the drafting of a sustainable transport action plan by the Department of Transport;

the use of CFL long-life lights by all public bodies;

a move to 5 per cent bio-fuel use in all National Parks and Wildlife Service vehicles;

the publication of guidelines on sustainable residential development;

the launch of a multi-annual awareness campaign on climate change;

the launch of an action plan for green public procurement.

Criticising the failure of the Government to implement the measures on time, Mr Coveney said the strategy, published last April, was not even an ambitious document.

"This was admitted by Minister Gormley during his carbon budget last December when his figures indicated that even if implemented in full, it would still leave us 5 per cent over our Kyoto targets."

"This information demonstrates the utter lack of commitment to delivering on measures to reduce emissions, and shows up the Green hue surrounding government since June for what it really is - a Green smokescreen masking a business-as-usual Fianna Fáil government," said Mr Coveney.

Defending Mr Gormley's record, a spokesman for the Minister alluded to the publication of the guidelines for sustainable development yesterday. The spokesman said these were a major and complex undertaking and while the Minister would of course like to see the issues in his bailiwick progress more quickly, a lot had already been achieved.

The spokesman said Mr Gormley looked forward to Fine Gael councillors across the country now implementing the guidelines at local authority level across the country.

Meanwhile, the Irish Planning Institute has welcomed the publication of new guidelines.

Andrew Hind, president of the institute, said: "There are too many cases where local planning policies appear to ignore the regional and national policies.

"Future growth in our towns and villages needs to be matched by the provision of social, as well as physical infrastructure, to ensure that the communities are both sustainable and balanced into the future," he said.