The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan, T.D., released the results of the recent public consultation on climate policy development. It includes all responses received, as well as his Department's overview of both the results and the substantial volume of comments made by respondents.

The public consultation, which ran from 29th February to 30th April 2012, was the first major step in the Programme for the development of national climate policy and legislation which the Minister issued in January of this year.

The objective of the consultation was to draw views and opinions from stakeholders, including the general public, on a range of issues central to national policy development, including general policy instruments and their use; barriers to greenhouse gas mitigation; specific mitigation policies and measures; consumer behaviour, and EU policy. The consultation also included a number of questions on domestic legislation, including in relation to its potential role and scope; and on national adaptation planning.

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The consultation, which was structured around a comprehensive on-line questionnaire using web-based survey software, attracted a total of 623 responses comprising 614 completed questionnaires and 9 separate submissions.

Announcing release of the results, Minister Hogan welcomed the overall response which he described as "both positive and encouraging in terms of the level of awareness and interest in the national climate policy development agenda. We are slightly behind schedule in releasing this material but that is due to the level of interest and huge response which we received. I want to thank everyone who took the time to participate and I hope that the material now released will stimulate the on-going debate on a progressive way forward on both environmental and economic grounds."

(CD/GK)