Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Chairman for accommodating this meeting. I know the committee has had a long day. This is essentially a token Supplementary Estimate to create a new subhead, F12 just transition, under which the €6 million allocated in the budget for the just transition fund will be paid. The early establishment of the subhead will facilitate expenditure from the just transition fund to commence in early 2020.

Everyone knows the background to this, which is the recognition that just transition is a core part of the climate action plan. This has been brought into very sharp relief by the much-accelerated rundown of peat in electricity generation, which members know all about. As a result and as part of the budget, the decision was made by the Minister for Finance that a substantial part of the moneys raised from the carbon pricing would be ring-fenced this year for just transition with a particular focus on the midlands. Three immediate measures were contained in the budget, namely, the just transition fund, the provision of €5 million extra to allow extra bog rehabilitation work to be done on non-Bord na Móna bogs and to provide €20 million to run a special programme in the midlands which would seek to build out retrofitting on an aggregated scale on an area basis. This is something we need to do anyhow to increase our capacity to deliver. This is being developed. At its core, there will be social houses in the region but the key to it will be to build wider participation than simply retrofitting social housing and to build momentum and aggregation and scaling up on a significant level, and doing this in the midlands where there is a particular need.

If the committee is interested I could go through some of the other work we are doing on just transition in the midlands but it is not directly associated with this because it has to do with repurposing the public service obligation, PSO, to allow additional bog restoration to a higher level on Bord na Móna bogs and other measures, such as the coal provisions under the EU treaties. We are seeking a token Estimate here to allow us to spend from this fund and to underpin the work Kieran Mulvey is starting as the just transition commissioner.