Having raised expectations with a sugar-coated Climate Action Plan last year, Eamon Ryan and Charlie McConalogue are faced with the hard reality of carbon budgeting figures. It could be make-or-break time for the coalition.
The Government's new strategy for rural Ireland shows a rare grasp of the deep implications of remote working. The challenge lies in its implementation – and, crucially, in the right timing for the roll-out of proposed policies.
Last month, the Minister for Agriculture was burning the midnight oil in EU talks worth €10bn to Ireland. Next month, his industry is facing Brexit chaos. Yet Charlie McConalogue is at his most combative when discussing the lack of transparency in the beef trade.
Much delayed legislation introduced by the Government on Wednesday will apply to Ireland the carbon budgeting world standard developed by the UK since 2008. It may not ban petrol cars as promised, but its ambition is much bigger: regulate the collaboration between scientific experts and politicians in solving their greatest challenge for the next 30 years.
Nine months after its signature, the contract between the Government and Granahan McCourt’s companies to deliver broadband to every building in rural Ireland has been published. Or at least some of it has.
Officials have warned the new minister for agriculture of rising tuberculosis infections in Irish herds, despite scientific progress and increased spending. The reason? Too many cows.
The majority of policies agreed by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party to achieve the transition towards a greener economy were already known from previous commitments or set in EU legislation. Yet a new level of ambition is emerging, with concrete actions most clearly spelled out in transport – and a lot left to be teased out in agriculture.
She may have lost her seat, but, as Minister for Social Protection in the caretaker government, Regina Doherty has played a crucial role in Covid-19 business supports and tackling mass unemployment. What does the future now hold for Doherty?
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