Ciarán Ahern: Calls for Parliamentary Approval on Designations

Ciarán Ahern addresses concerns about a Bill that would allow Ministerial designations while disapplying aspects of the Climate Action Acts. He argues for faster infrastructure delivery but insists that any designation must have Dáil and Seanad approval to take effect.

Parliamentary oversight: Ahern stresses that delivering infrastructure quickly is important, but not at the expense of removing statutory climate safeguards. He warns that the Bill’s current mechanism hands a designation power to the Minister without sufficient input from the Oireachtas.

What the amendment would do: Ahern outlines an amendment to flip the burden of proof - rather than annulling a designation by resolution, no designation would take effect until both the Dáil and the Seanad pass a positive resolution. He frames this as a straightforward procedural safeguard to preserve democratic scrutiny and legislative control.