Mr. Mark Griffin:

The Chairman introduced the front row of the Department's team in his opening remarks but I also have a very effective back row behind me here. I will introduce them now: Orla Ryan, principal officer; Triona Quill, principal officer; Brian Walsh, assistant principal; and Frank Groome, assistant principal. As the Comptroller and Auditor General mentioned at the outset, our Department has changed in formation since the last time I appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts. We are now the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, whereas the last time I appeared here we were the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. I ask the committee not to be fooled by the name change because the Department obviously still holds the energy and natural resources functions. Our remit, then, expands significantly beyond functions relating to communications, broadcasting, postal, energy, natural resources and inland fisheries to encompass responsibility for the areas of climate change, waste management, resource efficiency, air quality and environmental policy. These new structures have been in place since May 2016.

The Department made significant progress in 2016 on a range of commitments set out in the programme for Government and in the Department’s statement of strategy 2016-19. Total gross expenditure under the Vote in 2016 amounted to just under €439 million, some €42 million or 8.7% below the budgetary allocation of €481 million. The underspend related primarily to lower than expected expenditure on the national broadband plan, energy research projects and the demand-led sustainable energy schemes, the delayed commencement of landfill remediation projects and reduced broadcasting expenditure due to lower than forecast TV licence receipts.

I will set out briefly the key strategic priorities supported from the Vote in 2016. Delivering a “connected” economy and society where every citizen, company and community can realise the full social and economic potential of the digital world is a policy priority. Some €14 million was spent on communications, multimedia developments and the information society. The Department continued to progress the procurement process under the national broadband plan. The plan has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that to date approximately 1.5 million or 65% of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland can get access to high-speed broadband and this footprint is expanding. By 2020, through a combination of commercial investment and State intervention, about nine out of ten premises in Ireland will have access to high-speed broadband.

The Department continued to support digital entrepreneurship and to promote engagement by small businesses with the digital economy. To date, some 4,000 businesses have been awarded grant assistance under the Department’s trading online voucher scheme, while 9,000 businesses have benefitted from advice and peer-to-peer support under the scheme. A new digital skills for citizens scheme was launched in 2016 under which community and voluntary organisations will provide 25,000 people annually with ten hours of free digital skills training.

Expenditure in 2016 in the broadcasting area amounted to almost €240 million. Of this, some €179 million was paid in grant aid to RTÉ in respect of revenue from the sale of television licences. Exchequer funding of €26.1 million and TV licence fee funding of €9.3 million was provided to TG4 to deliver on programme commitments. Licence fee funding of €13.65 million was provided to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to support the audio and audiovisual media sector in the production of new television and radio programmes on Irish culture, heritage and experience, as well as programmes in the Irish language.

Some €80 million in Exchequer funding was spent in the energy area in 2016. Using less energy, and using it more efficiently, is the most cost-effective and accessible way for us all to take action on climate change. Expenditure of just under €58 million under the better energy programme, which is delivered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, supported energy efficiency upgrades to approximately 25,000 homes and 385 community and commercial buildings in the drive to reduce CO2 emissions.

The warmth and well-being pilot scheme to provide deep energy efficiency upgrades to people suffering from acute respiratory conditions who live in poor quality homes has grown from a base of 72 home completions following its launch last year to approximately 400 this year. To date, Government investment in energy efficiency has supported the upgrade of more than 350,000 homes, or one in every five homes in the country.

The purchase of more than 600 new electric vehicles was grant-aided in 2016. This will need to increase significantly in the coming years and the decisions taken in this year’s budget and Estimates will allow us to ramp up support for low-emissions vehicles. Renewable transport, renewable heat and renewable electricity generation all must significantly increase over the coming years as we move progressively towards the national objective of a competitive, low-carbon, climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050.

Some €9.8 million was spent on various geoscience projects, including INFOMAR, the national seabed mapping project, and the Tellus programme, which is updating the State’s geological mapping data sets.

Just over €29 million was paid to meet the administration and operational costs of Inland Fisheries Ireland, and the Loughs Agency in 2016. This funding enabled Inland Fisheries Ireland to undertake some 188,000 patrol hours and 36,000 inspections. The Department provided €24.9 million to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, in 2016 to support the delivery of its core functions. In the area of waste management, funding of €7.8 million was made available to local authorities in respect of landfill remediation projects.

In conclusion, the Department continued during 2016 to oversee and implement a wide range of policies and programmes which have a significant strategic national importance and which are essential to our national economic and sustainable development. I look forward to assisting committee members with any questions they may have today.