Mr. Mark Griffin:

The total gross expenditure under the Vote in 2021 amounted to €664 million, 14% or €105 million below the budgetary allocation of €769 million, which included capital carryover. The extensive Covid-19-related restrictions on construction activity between January and mid-April 2021 had a significant impact on activity on the NBP, the sustainable energy programmes and the landfill remediation programme, and this is the main driver of the underspend last year.

On the national broadband plan, I outlined to the committee when I was last before it in February, and in subsequent correspondence, the unprecedented challenges faced in delivering the plan arising primarily from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are, however, seeing significant evidence this year that the network build has gained momentum and that this will continue into 2023 and subsequent years. As of 1 October this year, more than 337,000 premises are design complete and 210,000 premises are under construction, with 108,000 through the make-ready programme. A total of 94,500 premises can order or preorder a connection, while more than 85,000 premises are passed and available for immediate connection. In excess of 20,500 premises, or 24% of the premises passed, are connected, which is exceeding expectations for this stage of the project. Connections are running at approximately 2,000 per month. By the end of next January, the revised target of 102,000 premises to be passed will be achieved. In fact, we are advised this target of 102,000 premises will be achieved by end December, with a further 80,000 to 85,000 premises to be passed in 2023. There are now more than 300 staff employed directly by NBI, along with 1,100 indirect employees working with build and design contractors. A total of 271 public broadband connection points are live on the NBP network. Some 470 national schools within the intervention area have been provided with a high-speed broadband connection under the plan and are either live or are ready to go live. In 2022, roll-out to the islands commenced, with premises on four islands off County Donegal currently able to order or preorder high-speed broadband. NBI is progressing fibre design and build actives on a further six islands off counties Galway, Mayo and Cork while progressing service and designs for additional islands off counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo and Cork.

In 2021, the Department provided €327 million under its energy programme, up 60% on 2020. The figure €101.3 million was spent on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, retrofitting schemes, with 15,500 home upgrades completed. This included nearly 4,100 solar photovoltaic, PV, installations, 4,600 homes upgraded to a B2 standard, 2,000 heat pump installations and almost 2,300 free upgrades to energy-poor households under the warmer homes and warmth and well-being scheme. In addition, approval was obtained to transfer €160 million from the Vote to the energy efficiency national fund to fund the establishment of a new residential retrofit loan guarantee scheme, as well as to support additional energy upgrades under the warmer homes scheme and other SEAI residential and community retrofit schemes.

Other key achievements in the energy area in 2021 include the continued roll-out of the renewable electricity support scheme, RESS, with the first onshore RESS projects energised in quarter 4 of last year. Approximately 530 MW of renewable energy is expected to have been energised by year end 2022 under the RESS, with a further 300 MW in 2023. RESS 1 is expected to deliver an approximate 15% increase in Ireland's current renewable energy generation capacity by the end of 2023. Auctions were completed for onshore RESS 2 in June 2022, which is expected to deliver a further 20% increase in renewable energy capacity and the design of a RESS 3 is under development, as is the design of the first offshore renewable energy scheme.

Spending under the environment and waste management programme was €128 million, slightly ahead of its original allocation. More than €20 million of the €128 million was spent by 21 local authorities to support landfill risk assessment and remediation work on more than 70 sites around the country, most of them old municipal landfills that operated prior to regulation and require engineering measures to ensure the protection of the environment, air and water quality for local communities. In excess of €13 million was spent on other waste management initiatives. The majority of the spend was on enforcement-related activities. Funding was also provided for once-off litter initiatives in 2021 to support an outdoor summer and prevent littering in public areas. By the end of 2021, 52 just transition fund projects had entered into grant agreements and were commencing the roll-out of their projects. The total value of projects in the delivery phase is €28 million, with €19 million in grant funding. These projects will bring €12 million in additional funding to the midlands and support approximately 150 direct jobs in the grantee organisations and approximately 890 indirect jobs, as self-reported by the project.

The year 2021 was significant for the National Cyber Security Centre, NCSC. Following completion of a capacity review early in the year, the Government accepted the capacity review's recommendations and agreed a number of actions, including the sanction of an additional 20 staff to be appointed by the end of 2022. In addition, in May 2021, the HSE was subjected to a serious criminal cyberattack through the infiltration of IT systems using Conti ransomware. The NCSC provided support to the HSE in identifying the systems affected by the cyberattack and to bring all systems back online. The Comptroller and Auditor General covered this comprehensively in the appropriation accounts this year.

The Department is tasked with delivering significant policy programmes to achieve a climate neutral, sustainable and digitally connected Ireland. The Appropriation Account 2021 sets out where the Department has invested its resources in 2021 to progress the achievement of this outcome in the context of significant challenges.

I look forward to assisting committee members with their questions today.