Results 25,181-25,200 of 26,783 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Road Projects (9 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Once funding arrangements have been put in place with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Tax Code (9 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: From the details provided in relation to this case, it would appear that the tax liability of the owner of these two vehicles is being calculated correctly. The Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013 provides that where the owner of a vehicle wishes to declare a vehicle off the road the declaration must be made in advance during the month of expiry of the vehicle’s current motor tax...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a cheist. National Heat Study, published by the SEAI, contains a detailed analysis that is being used by my Department to inform the development of policies and measures to decarbonise Ireland's heating and cooling sectors by 2050. I assure the Deputy that the study considered several potential decarbonisation options for a wide range of homes...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I am considering all options. There is a new Administration and new Minister. I can see where we have done very well in retrofitting. I have already said very clearly that heat pumps represent the optimal solution but not the only one. We have got to carry out a very detailed assessment of the supply of biofuels, including biofuels used in transportation. If we are to accelerate their...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The local authorities are doing a good job retrofitting social housing stock. I had experience of that in my previous portfolio. We have an exacting target of retrofitting 500,000 homes by 2030. At the last count, the figure stood at approximately 165,000 across the country, both public and private. However, there is work to do be done. To answer the Deputy's question on the grant...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question. As outlined in the programme for Government, we committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and achieve a 51% reduction in emissions by 2030, while achieving net zero by no later than 2050. We have been making significant progress in that regard. We also committed to achieving 80% of Ireland's electricity...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: No.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I need to get clarification from the Deputy's own party on whether it supports the State-led strategic gas reserve? I am not sure where the Labour Party stands on that. All parties should support it because there is a risk to our country, society and economy if we do not build it. We have an oil reserve but we do not have a gas reserve and we need that. It will be State-led. On the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Infrastructure (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: We are absolutely committed to continuing the transition to renewable energy. We are making progress on that with onshore wind. We have created the infrastructure, which I set up in my previous Department under the marine planning Act and the creation of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, MARA. We have six planning applications in for offshore renewables. I will bring forward...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The legal advice I referred to is the legal advice my predecessor received, going back to 2020, which I was not aware of at the time either. I had to act on it. To answer the Deputy's question about "State-led" directly, that means State-led, State-owned, State-operated. I want to be very clear on that. This is not a commercial entity. It will be used in the event of a disruption to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputy for his question because it gives me an opportunity to put on the record of the House that "State-led" means that the strategic gas emergency reserve will be owned and operated by the gas system operator, which is Gas Networks Ireland, and public procurement processes will determine any future partners, that is, whom we will purchase the gas from. I think the Deputy, with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Energy Policy (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: We will not be dependent on the gas reserve for energy generation at all unless there is a disruption to the gas supply. Between 70% and 80% of our gas supply comes from Britain. Corrib is a diminishing resource, as we know. We are not seeking to access or explore any additional gas fields. The way forward is through renewables. I will give the Deputy one example. Six years ago, about...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy rightly says, the Department engaged Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Limited to carry out an updated analysis of security of energy supply in Ireland covering the period beyond 2030 and up to 2040. This study builds on CEPA's technical analysis of the security of supply of Ireland's electricity and natural gas systems up to 2030, published in September 2022. That helped...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I did. I will come back to it in the supplementary.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: To answer the Deputy's question directly at the start, the analysis conducted by CEPA is under review in the Department now and I must review that. However, I can confirm the study finds Ireland will not meet the N-1 infrastructure standard for gas during the 2030s. The report finds the addition of an FSRU will allow Ireland to meet that standard and I will publish that in the coming weeks....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Deputy is aware of this, but I restate An Bord Pleanála is independent of Government. Applications are made. The potential development she refers to is a matter that has been before the courts and has been with An Bord Pleanála. I am not going to comment further other than to say Government will not intervene in that instance. It would not be appropriate for us to do so....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Reports (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes. We will share it with the Deputy.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste a ardú ar an ábhar an-tábhachtach seo. I thank the Deputy for his question on this very important subject. As he knows, Ireland has one of the most ambitious home retrofit targets in the world. The national retrofit plan sets out how these targets will be met, including with an €8 billion financial allocation in...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (10 Apr 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The warmer homes scheme is important because it focuses on lower incomes families. I am looking at this issue. For context, the average value of upgrades in 2015 was just €2,600. In 2024, the most recent year for which I have full annualised data, it was €27,700. Deeper upgrades mean more lower income homeowners can benefit to a greater extent from the scheme and the...