Environmental Pillar

Lobbying Organisation Environmental Pillar

Date published 16 Jan, 2018

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Environment

Period 1 Sep, 2017 to 31 Dec, 2017

Specific Details Follow up on poor response to 2018 Budget Submission with the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight.

Intended results Environmental measures introduced into the Finance Bill

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Michael Ewing

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Dear Deputy Madigan I write to you in your role as Chair of the Dail Committee on Budgetary Oversight, and on behalf of the 26 national Environmental NGOs that make up the national Social Partner that is the Environmental Pillar. We are very disappointed in the overall failure of the budget to broaden the tax base, or, in so doing, to incorporate the legally binding Polluter Pays Principle. In particular the budget failed to seriously address either mitigation of the causes, or adaptation to the impacts of climate change. We would very much welcome the opportunity to address the Committee on these matters, both in the light of our own budget submission (attached), but also to highlight the issues repeatedly raised in the European Semester process, regarding Ireland’s narrow tax base and its failure to make use of the win-win of environmental taxes and levies. According to Commission figures, in the EU 28 Ireland ranked 28th on energy taxes and 24th on environmental taxes in 2015.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Josepha Madigan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Eamon Ryan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)