This week, we had yet more terrifying evidence of how we in this country, in Europe and across the world are careering towards a climate, biodiversity and ecological disaster. It is a fact that 1 million of the world's 8 million species are now threatened with extinction. Here in Ireland, it is worse, and the Irish Wildlife Trust states that one third of species are facing extinction. A report today shows that Europe is more than two and a half times over-consuming the natural resources necessary to sustain existence on this planet. The school students who were on strike over the climate emergency are coming out on the day of the European and local elections calling for further protests. In Leinster House today we had Extinction Rebellion saying how the Government's policies around planning to ramp up the use of gas for energy is an environmental disaster.

My questions are very simple. Will the Government follow what has been done in Britain and declare a climate and biological emergency? Where is the promised all-of-Government plan to deal with climate change? When is it going to happen? Are we going to see the radical emergency action that is necessary to deal with an ecological and climate disaster coming at us?

The Deputy has raised a lot of genuine issues. I reassure the House that, from a biodiversity and species perspective and from a climate change perspective, Members will see a lot of action from this Government. Before the end of this month, the Minister, Deputy Bruton, will bring a national climate action plan to Government for approval, and I am sure it will have many hours of debate in this House once it is launched. The issues raised by the Deputy are real and genuine, and need the kind of response this country has not provided to date but needs to from now on.