The Department of Public Expenditure has disbanded its climate division under a reorganisation described as “reckless” by a former government minister.
Under the restructuring, the senior official who was in charge of the stand-alone division has been moved to a newly created infrastructure division.
Climate is now grouped with other functions in a unit of the new division.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, who highlighted the move, said it raised questions about the Government’s commitment to climate action.
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“Just when the Government should be redoubling its efforts to find ways to reduce our carbon emissions, we see Minister Jack Chambers decommissioning the climate division in his department,” said O’Gorman, who served as minister for children and equality in the previous government.
Chambers said climate remained a function of his department.
In reply to a parliamentary question from O’Gorman, the Minister for Public Expenditure said: “Recent changes in my department have been focused on its infrastructure division, which reflect the priority associated with this division’s work in the context of the Programme for Government and last year’s National Development Plan Review and Accelerating Infrastructure Action Plan.”
He said climate was handled by one of the six units within this new division. That unit also handles transport, energy and the environment.
O’Gorman rejected the explanation. “It’s further proof that this Government has decided to simply ignore the climate crisis,” he said.
“Ironically, it will be Minister Chambers’ department which will have to fork out billions of euro in fines, fines that will now be even bigger because of this Government’s reckless decisions.”
The Department of Public Expenditure is regarded as one of the most influential in government as it controls the purse strings that can make or break policies.
When Chambers took over the department last year, the climate division was one of 11 divisions and it had an assistant secretary general in charge of it.
Its responsibilities were listed as including management of the budgets for the departments of Transport, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, and Environment and Climate Action, along with the Office of Public Works.
It also undertook research on areas of climate policy including the potential costs associated with meeting or failing to meet EU climate and energy targets.
Other research that was ongoing when Chambers took over included the impacts of State climate supports and the economic impact of climate and energy policies.
The Minister’s written reply said the units within the new infrastructure division were now “focused on infrastructure delivery and monitoring; infrastructure legislative reform and utilities; infrastructure regulatory simplification; construction sector capacity and procurement; transport and climate, energy and the environment; and housing”.
O’Gorman said while infrastructure was important and could play an important part in addressing the climate crisis, it was only part of the solution.
The department has been contacted for response.
