Results 61-80 of 27,055 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Which one?

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Is this HVO in relation to home heating oil?

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: We are looking at that, not necessarily by way of the budget, but for 2026. We got the renewable heat obligation, RHO, memo approved at Cabinet just yesterday. I expect that will enable us to look at the mix within home heating oil, in particular, and fossil, and when we start to blend there, what rate of blend it will be, especially in relation to the multiplier around anaerobic digestion,...

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I need to get the RHO Bill passed. We have got approval at Cabinet for that. It is something we will advance in the autumn of this year, but we need a technical regulations information system, TRIS, notification. That has to go to the Commission before it can go to the Dáil. There are specific reasons for that around the price we will pay for indigenous input to AD and biomethane...

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I know what you mean.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I do. It is a very good question and point. If we go back to 2019 and compare it with 2025 to date, more than 213,000 homes have had energy upgrades to various levels, with 69,000 B2 upgrades completed. It is a significant programme. It has worked well and there is a multi-annual commitment to it to the end of this decade. I believe we are getting value for money, but while I am not...

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I do not have an answer right now for the Deputy as to why that is the case. I will raise that query and revert to the committee on it. Good schemes are in place, particularly for the medically vulnerable. We may have something here for the Deputy but if not, I will get it to him post the meeting. Fan nóiméad amháin. There is a good answer for that. I have been informed...

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Is that the party manifesto again?

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: It depends on which index one looks at. One could look at the average income in this country and the percentage of net take-home pay. The average net take-home pay that is paid in Ireland versus other countries makes us about the eighth.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: We are still too expensive.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I never dispute facts and I do not dispute for one moment that energy bills are too high for people. We want to do what we can to get them down.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: When we came into government-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The task force is not this holding group. It has to do all the work the Deputy has mentioned. On the basis that every single item-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: No. Every single thing the Deputy has mentioned is in my party's manifesto, but we are guided now by the programme for Government. The programme for Government was agreed by us, Fine Gael and the regional Independents. That is what we have published and-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Everything the Deputy has mentioned is something we are doing.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I would be very happy to report back on things-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: -----we said we would do that we are actually going to do.

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am glad the Deputy has actually-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: No, I think that is the Department of-----

Select Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 29 - Climate, Energy and the Environment (Revised) (16 Jul 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: -----local government.