Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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67. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that energy use in schools is addressed, with particular reference to the installation of solar panels and retrofitting. [58469/22]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister might have seen that Sinn Féin launched a document in recent days outlining our belief that schools have potential to be real leaders in challenging climate change. Some of it is to do with the curriculum and some to do with energy efficiency in schools. It is a real shame that very few of the 4,000 primary and post-primary schools have solar panels because the regulations are outdated, even though it would make a great difference to the costs of the schools and also in reducing emissions.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has a strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both national and international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification. The National Development Plan 2021-2030, published on 4 October 2021, provides for capital funding of more than €4.4 billion for investment in school infrastructure during the period from 2021 to 2025. There continues to be a strong climate action dimension to this additional capacity and modernisation programme. Schools designed and built in accordance with the Department’s technical guidance documents have been achieving A3 building energy ratings since 2009, with current schools typically achieving up to 20% higher energy performance and 25% better carbon performance than required by the current building regulations. In addition, 10% of primary school energy is provided via solar panels and there is infrastructure provision for electric vehicle charging.

As the Deputy will be aware, budget 2023 provided for the provision of funding from the climate action fund in respect of the provision of solar panels in schools up to 6 kW output. This is really positive news, which I am sure the Deputy will welcome, and will assist with schools’ energy needs and costs along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings. Departmental officials are working closely with colleagues in the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications on the arrangements for this scheme and details will be announced in the shortest timeframe possible. The provision of the solar panels will be fully funded for schools. I will also announce in due course a climate action summer works programme to progress climate action specific initiatives that will assist with the roll-out of smaller scale energy retrofit works in schools.

The summer works programme has for many years featured categories that assist in improving energy reduction in schools such as heating system upgrades, roof insulation upgrades, high-performance window upgrades and electrical upgrades. The Departments of Education and the Environment, Climate and Communications have established a jointly funded pathfinder programme, which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland and the planning and building unit in my Department. Support is also provided by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board, ETB, in respect of the programme.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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On the school buildings that have been built in the past 15 years, the Minister will find no dispute from me. They are fantastic, energy-efficient buildings using the best of materials and so on, but the difficulty is that there are more 4,000 schools, many of which were built in the 1950s and 1960s by the Christian Brothers, for example, which are not the best in terms of energy efficiency. We have a big job to bring the schools estate, generally speaking, up to scratch.

I return to the issue of solar panels and I might return presently to that of retrofitting and so on. The Taoiseach told us several months ago that this would be resolved by the summer and indicated the regulations would be addressed, but it went out to a further round of consultation. I am a big fan of consultation in general but I am not sure it was necessary here. When will the regulations be in place? It is a no-brainer in view of the energy that can be generated, the benefit to schools financially and the reduction in emissions. When will they be finalised in order that schools can enter the planning process or whatever kind of process will follow?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I agree that this is a very positive move, and I welcome the fact schools will be eligible for the programme and it will be fully funded for them. Much work is being done in this regard and it is the absolute intention to roll it out as quickly as possible. Obviously, this is not within the gift of just my Department, but we are working constructively to ensure it will be delivered as quickly as possible.

I acknowledge the Deputy's reference to the deep energy retrofit programme, a significant and successful programme on which tens of millions of euro have been spent by the Department. We have seen the benefit in very many schools throughout the country and it is our ambition to grow that initiative. Much of the leadership and impetus for climate action and sustainability is coming from young people in our schools. There is a strong body of work in this area and we are continuing to move at pace.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I certainly agree with the point regarding young people. In the case of green flags in public buildings, many of the first ones we saw were in schools and other buildings in local communities. Great initiatives have been shown by young people and schools have been leaders in that regard.

On solar panels, the Minister has not given a specific date regarding the regulations. Schools cannot enter the planning system and that is a big problem.

To return to the retrofitting issue, the pathfinder programme is beneficial, but the point of it was to establish scalability. As that has surely been established over the past four or five years, it is time to scale up the programme.

I have a few practical questions on the summer works programme, which the Minister mentioned. Will the programme be entirely separate from the existing summer works programme or will there be a number of new grounds on which schools can apply? In any event, will there be additional funding for that? To clarify, will it be an entirely new programme, with a new form and so on, or will there be new grounds, additional to the nine or ten that currently exist, on which to apply within the existing programme?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has many award-winning schemes that are internationally recognised for their agenda and for the priority given by the Department in the area of climate action and sustainability, and we have a strong strategy in that area as well. I mentioned the pathfinder programme and the solar panel scheme, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and I acknowledge the work of my ministerial colleague in that regard.

As the Deputy knows, the summer works programme is invaluable to our schools for lesser initiatives but is equally important and impactful within our schools. It is envisaged the new climate-focused multiannual summer works programme will open for new applications in early 2023 and it will have the climate action initiative embedded in it.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will they be two separate programmes?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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We are working on the finer detail of that.