Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I will give the Deputy the benefit of the note I have on this. My Department is committed, under action 151 of the climate action plan, to take the steps required to incorporate measures of climate-related impacts into capital grant decisions by the enterprise agencies, predominantly the IDA and Enterprise Ireland. The Department has commenced a pilot project to determine how this might be done using the long-established economic appraisal model used by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland as a basis. A steering group was established for the further exploration of the feasibility and challenges of integrating missions into the appraisal process, including representatives of the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI. The pilot concluded in September last year.

The Department is considering its results and plans to introduce a revised version of the model for assessing projects for capital grant funding during 2023. During the pilot project, four emissions categories were introduced to the economic appraisal model, namely, energy, travel, resource use and water. These categories relate mostly to scope 1 and scope 2 emissions-related data the Department collected. Some limited data on scope 3 emissions were included, such as those from business travel.

We are committed to introducing a new model of assessment. When the IDA talks to businesses, encourages them to come to Ireland and puts together a support package relating to research and development, R&D, tax credits and other grants within the state aid rules and so on, it tries to focus on the best fit for the economy. We are trying to put a model in place that will factor the climate-related issues regarding sustainability into that model for future appraisals.