Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. This week, as the focus has been on other matters in the news, a hugely significant story has gone relatively unmarked. According to the UN, the first week of July was the hottest week on record globally ever. Indeed, June 2023 has blown away all temperature records for that month. The science is clear. All that we hold dear is threatened by the climate crisis. Unless we as a species choose to live more sustainably, we face extinction.

I refer to the choice to live more sustainably because it is a choice. Political choices are made every day and are what can save us from climate and biodiversity breakdown.

I welcome that just in the past few minutes MEPs have voted to adopt the Nature Restoration Law in the European Parliament and in particular, MEPs voted against the shameful attempts by the European People's Party, the Taoiseach's own political grouping, to force a boycott of the Nature Restoration Law. I welcome the fact that Fine Gael MEPs voted not to block the Nature Restoration Law. We understand from them that they faced down pressure from within the EPP and they have said that they prefer to engage with the process. Their choice is a welcome departure from the very dangerous rhetoric we have seen from their EPP colleagues, and notably the EPP president, Manfred Weber.

I ask the Taoiseach to clarify and confirm his own commitment to the vitally important Nature Restoration Law. Does he condemn the rhetoric of Manfred Weber who is the president of the European People’s Party, the Taoiseach's own party in Europe, and does he agree with the Labour Party’s sister parties and the Party of European Socialists who have really driven the Nature Restoration Law, along with their Green Party colleagues in the green group? They have said that Mr. Weber has engaged in disinformation on the law and has courted the support of the far-right in Europe.

I wanted to seek clarification on another important Government climate policy which relates to just transition and supporting a transition to a low-carbon economy in a way which leaves no one behind. Mary Robinson said at COP27 that just transition requires a series of just transformations, a rising tide to lift all boats to tackle the inequality and injustice while building a sustainable future.

The Taoiseach's Government has previously committed to establishing a just transition commission to design an inclusive response to the climate and biodiversity crises. Last night, the National Economic and Social Council called for the speedy establishment of the commission and the Taoiseach welcomed that but I understand that there are real concerns that the project to establish this commission has been stalled and, indeed, trade union and civil society representatives have written to him this week warning against any further delay in establishing the commission. Will the Taoiseach use his powers under the National Economic and Social Development Office Act to set up the just transition commission without delay and will he ensure that it is based on social dialogue in keeping with the International Labour Organization, ILO, just transition principles? We want to see its terms of reference place that emphasis on social dialogue to ensure that the real and meaningful just transition is reached.

I thank the Deputy. I am happy to confirm my and the Government's support for an EU nature law. We have seen an extraordinary loss of biodiversity in Ireland, Europe and around the world in the past few decades. For me, it was brought into sharp focus by one of the David Attenborough documentaries I watched where he pointed out that 97% of all animal life on earth by weight is us and the things we eat. That only left 3% for nature. That is one of the reasons why I and this Government support a new EU nature law.

But it is important that we get it right. It has to be a law which works with farmers and not against them, one that respects rural and coastal communities, and has to be a law that does not conflict with climate action and with the things we want to do in installing wind power, solar power etc.

As a Government we have signed up to a version of that law agreed by the European Council. Around the European Council table there are many EPP Prime Ministers and I happen to be one of them. The original proposal put forward by the Commission was too far-reaching and is not the one that we agreed to as a Government. We agreed to a different version, the Council version. I know that it needs to be understood - I know that Deputy Bacik understands this but people who do not follow European politics as closely may not - that there are different versions of this law. It is still only a draft law and much negotiation must still be carried out. It is important that we get it right and that we bring farmers, rural and coastal communities with us because if we try to impose things on them that they will not accept, it will backfire, and backfire badly. That is why we have taken a constructive approach and are not just blindly accepting the original proposal from the Commission but actually saying that we wanted a better law. That is what we succeeded in negotiating round the European Council table, with negotiations led by the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and others.

I, quite frankly, do not agree with some of the statements made by the president of the EPP. We do not agree on everything but it is important to recognise that the EPP is a big political organisation. The original proposal made by the European Commission, probably the greenest Commission we have ever seen in Europe, has an EPP President in President von der Leyen. One has differences of opinion within political parties. That happens in Ireland and it certainly happens at European level also.

We are doing some work on the just transition commission at the moment but I cannot give the Deputy a date for its establishment just yet. I will follow that up and come back to her.

I welcome the Taoiseach's words of support for the Nature Restoration Law and indeed his comments on community engagement. That is the issue with the correspondence he has received this week from representatives of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, ICTU, from the Environmental Pillar, Irish Rural Link, Social Justice Ireland, Friends of the Earth, and others, who are concerned about the delays in establishing the just transition commission. Indeed, if we look at the great work of the citizens' assembly on climate action and biodiversity, it also talks about the need for community engagement. That is why we need to see that commission set up without delay and to ensure that it does engage meaningfully with the community. We know that communities which have the most to lose from transition need to be consulted, invested in and supported. We have also seen this reflected at international level where the ILO is talking about just transition having to include consultations, exchange of information and forms of dialogue between the social partners and governments.

How will the Taoiseach be responding to the civil society groups and trade unions which have corresponded with him this week on the just transition commission and can he give a commitment - I know he said he cannot give a date - that the commission will be established within a particular timeframe and that its terms of reference will be clear on that need for social dialogue?

I have not actually seen that correspondence yet. I will have to see it and I will then confer with the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and other Government colleagues. I will ensure that I do see it and that we will respond to it as soon as possible. I absolutely agree that social dialogue is crucial. Everybody wants climate action and actions to be taken which help to reverse the decline in biodiversity. Once these actually happen or are proposed we then run into significant opposition and that is why it is important that we try to bring people with us and have social dialogue.