Results 23,061-23,080 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together.  Recruitment and staffing are operational matters for Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in which neither I nor my Department have any role.  IFI has established a specific email address for queries from Oireachtas members so that queries can be addressed promptly, in line with IFI’s objective to deliver services to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Data Protection (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together.   Under the National Smart Metering Programme (NSMP) 2.3 million meters will be installed by 2025 and in the process make available new products and services to energy consumers. Oversight of the NSMP is the responsibility of the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) with the Distribution System...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Strategies (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together. My Department launched a public consultation on a Hydrogen Strategy for Ireland in July 2022. The consultation document set out key questions to be responded to, including a number of questions specifically on incentives and supports for the development and deployment of green hydrogen in Ireland. The following questions were posed in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action Plan set a target to reduce emissions from the residential sector by retrofitting the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal and installing 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes to replace older, less efficient heating systems by end-2030. Earlier this year the Government launched a package of supports to make it easier and more...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Due to Ireland’s peripheral location at the edge of the Atlantic, with a sea area of 490,000 square kilometres that is approximately 7 times its landmass, Ireland has considerable, but as yet undeveloped, offshore renewable energy (ORE) potential. In 2014, the first Offshore Renewable Energy Development Plan identified 27.5-31.1GW potential developable wave resource, in both shallow...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Reports (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together. Following the approval of the Carbon Budgets, my Department engaged with relevant Government Departments and Agencies to prepare Sectoral Emissions Ceilings for Government review and approval. This engagement was informed and supported by the procurement of external technical support services, as well as modelling support from members of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Government has recently agreed to increase our 5GW ambition for offshore wind energy, with an additional 2GW dedicated to green hydrogen production. Furthermore, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to develop a longer-term plan to harness the estimated potential of at least 30GW of offshore floating wind power in our Atlantic waters. Ireland’s climate ambitions will...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: With Ireland’s maritime area being seven times the size of its landmass and our location at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, I am critically aware that the potential for offshore renewable energy in Ireland is enormous – both in terms of power generation and economic opportunity. Central to realising this potential is the work of the Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce. The goal...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: International Agreements (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is an international climate policy proposal for a new treaty to manage a global just transition away from coal, oil and gas, considered as a vehicle to complement the Paris Agreement, modelled on campaigns for nuclear disarmament. Ireland recognises that a reliance on fossil fuels is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and a low-carbon future, and...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Building Energy Rating (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: My Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. In February, the Government approved a package of supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Fuel Sales (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The new regulations on the sale of solid fuels for domestic heating in Ireland came into operation on 31 October 2022. They have introduced minimum standards that apply across all solid fuels, to ensure that the most polluting can no longer be made available on the Irish market and to assist the public in transitioning to less polluting alternatives. The regulations allow those with...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Water Services (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: On the 20th November, 2021 an incident occurred at a drill site within Prospecting Licence Area 4502. This incident was an in-rush of water into an exploration tunnel, the Tara Deep Exploration Drive (TRDEX), constructed from the South West Extension (SWEX) area of Tara Boliden’s Navan mine. The flow rate increased over the next few days flooding the tunnel and underground workings....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Offshore Exploration (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The application referred to in the Question is under consideration by my Department. All applications for petroleum authorisations are assessed against a number of criteria in accordance with Section 9A of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960, as amended, and Section 3 of the Licensing Terms for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Development and Production. This includes the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. Earlier this year, the Government approved a package of significantly improved supports to make it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and lower emissions. The key measures include: - a new National Home Energy Upgrade...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: While the administration and management of applications under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) schemes are an operational matter for the SEAI and I as Minister, have no function with regard to individual grant applications, the SEAI has established a specific email address for queries such as this from Oireachtas members so important queries such as this can be...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 166 and 167 together. The Electricity Cost Emergency Benefit Scheme payment will be applied to domestic electricity accounts, including those with Pay As You Go meters, which are subject to distribution use of system charges at the rate for urban domestic customers (DG1) or the rate for rural domestic customers (DG2). The scheme uses the single identifier of...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Taxi Regulations (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including vehicle age limits for SPSVs , is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. As such, the NTA has powers to make regulations in relation to the age limits of SPSVs. Regulations made by the NTA in 2010...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Costs (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Park-and-Ride Facilities (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in our cities, including the provision of park and ride facilities. Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (15 Nov 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. While I am aware of the recent introduction of quieter carriages on Dublin-Cork services, the issue of the wider roll-out of the idea is an operational matter for Iarnród Éireann and I have...