Results 3,361-3,380 of 6,541 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The Acting Chairman could let him finish.

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 28. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on social affairs and equality will next meet. [50015/22]

Ceisteanna - Questions: Cabinet Committees (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 16. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change will next meet. [50016/22]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: 128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if changes are planned to the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 in relation to school children with special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49957/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirleach. It is great to be made to feel welcome. I also welcome the guests. This has been very useful. I will talk about Carlinn Hall, a community heating system in Dundalk. It includes 200-odd houses. Initially it was biomass. There have been many twists and turns but it was replaced by gas when gas was cheap and gas is no longer cheap so that is a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: The geothermal sounds incredibly interesting. Am I correct that there a similar project that has used geothermal? Could Ms Sheehan go into a bit of detail on that? My understanding is that for this to work you could be talking about going down 2.5 km. Once you go down that far it is free but I imagine there is a significant cost in doing that work.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: But there are other sites using geothermal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I suppose the difficulty for Carlinn Hall is that even if a solution comes into play it does not get people through this winter. The prices have gone up recently. I have been inundated with communications from people. In fairness, Frontline dropped its price around 14 June to 32.9 cent per kilowatt hour, which was a spectacularly high price at one stage, but at that time it was a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is the only long-term solution.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is okay. In fairness, what I put on the record is what needs to happen in the short term. There will be engagement with various Departments to deliver this. We are all looking at what could be a very nasty winter, especially cost-wise. I expect that Ms McCarthy is engaging with the task force on district and communal heating systems. Such systems only really happen in Britain and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is it. With the piece of work the SEAI is doing, we need a grant scheme that can take the hook off the residents from the point of view of trying to deliver some of these improved solutions. That is necessary. I get that there will be European state aid rules involved and there may need to be conversations with the Commission.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There has been a fair bit of repetition. What people want to see, and what the witnesses are looking for themselves on some level, is work on decarbonisation and what can be done to deal with the cost-of-living or energy crisis. We need a grant scheme that provides the best bang for our buck, particularly for those who cannot afford it but most need it. There is a general notion in this...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I get that but next summer we will be in a better place to put in play a fit-for-purpose scheme and will know whatever changes need to happen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Again, that is necessary work. People who are still using solid fuel and do not have much of an option at the minute remains an issue. We need to give them that option and it is necessary that this work be done. Can I assume, regarding the information from the behavioural unit, that the SEAI has a set of instructions for best case delivery?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I am only a visitor but I imagine that the committee would like to receive the information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is necessary because one can be shown something, yet two days later forget the information unless one has a simple set of instructions to hand. So as not to offend half of the country I confirm that I am speaking about myself and not about anybody else. I am not sure if the following observation is fair or unfair. The owner of a middle-sized contracting company came to me and said...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: If a homeowner goes directly to the contractor and the contractor applies for grants, is there stuff they can no longer avail of?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is fair enough.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: On district or communal heating systems, dual location and geothermal may offer options which make complete sense and this can happen very fast. Has SEAI looked into in any way, shape or form at anything in that area? Poolbeg is obviously waste heat. I was in the regional development centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, and it looked at studies being done on excess heat that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Retrofitting Schemes: Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (11 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Literally and I am almost thinking in cartoon terms of energy supplies. As presented to me, it was like heat waste, in the unit on the back of a truck and one could then move this and it would be significant. I nearly fell off the seat when I heard it and I need to find out more information, but I am hoping that SEAI have been engaged in this sort of conversation on this more than I have.