Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 11, inclusive, together.

The Climate Action Plan 2019 was published on 17 June 2019. The plan contains 183 actions, broken down into 619 individual steps, which Ireland needs to implement to meet our EU 2030 targets and achieve our long-term low-carbon transition objective. Delivering such an integrated set of actions requires a deep level of collaboration across Government. The plan outlines significant new governance structures to ensure that climate policy is implemented. This includes the establishment of the climate action delivery board within my Department to hold each Department and public body accountable for the delivery of actions set out in the plan. A climate action unit has also been set up in my Department to assist the delivery board and the Cabinet committee on the environment to monitor and drive implementation of the plan.

There is a strong focus on accountability in the climate action plan, including a commitment to publish progress reports quarterly, the first of which was produced on 31 October. The first progress report shows that 85% of the actions due for delivery in quarter two and three of this year have been delivered, incorporating 149 measures across various sectors. Accountability for the delivery of the remaining 27 delayed items will be pursued in forthcoming quarters. Several key milestones have been delivered to date under the plan, including a new scheme for up to 1,200 on-street public charge points for electric vehicles, led by local authorities and funded by central government. We delivered a climate action focused budget, with a commitment to increase the price of carbon to €80 per tonne by 2030 and to ring-fence proceeds from the carbon tax for climate action and a just transition.

As already referenced, a climate action delivery board has been established, led by my Department. A retrofitting model task force has been established to deliver our new national retrofitting plan. We have accepted the advice of the Climate Change Advisory Council to ban all new oil exploration in Irish coastal waters. The first trams for capacity expansion on the Luas green line have been delivered. We have devised new requirements to ensure that all new homes are nearly zero energy building, NZEB, standard, and a new local authority climate action charter has been signed by 31 local authorities. We have made a commitment to a just transition plan with €31 million secured in budget 2020 for new actions under this plan. We have also devised new rules for public procurement, which will mean that €12 billion of State investment each year will now be invested sustainably.

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