Results 27,121-27,140 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy about the resourcing of local authorities and the need to increase across a whole range of different areas. We have been doing this in the area of climate. We established the four climate action regional offices, CAROs. There may be smaller counties where there might be a total staff in the county of about 300, 400 or 500. That is difficult. Having regional...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Climate Change Policy (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I accept Deputy Connolly's point on central government needing to show greater speed. I also accept the need for resources within our local authorities and we have to continue to review that. I will put one other point back to the Deputy. It is not just about the officials; it is also about the councillors because they are the elected representatives. They are the heart and the leaders...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Conservation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The better energy warmer homes scheme delivers a range of energy efficiency measures free of charge to households vulnerable to energy poverty. This year's budget of €148.5 million is the highest ever. Increased awareness of the multiple benefits of retrofit and improvements to the warmer home schemes is driving increased levels of demand for the scheme, with more than 20,000...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Conservation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I absolutely accept the frustration about the long lead times and particularly around getting the BER to be able to make an application. We must be careful. We are putting significant funding into this and we have put in an additional €150 million. It is not a small investment, it has been massively ramped up and it will continue to become available. I keep reiterating that one of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Conservation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I accept there are sound arguments about the benefits of the scheme. One way to speed up the process is to employ additional contractors. We are up to 36 contractors now. I have also been informed the SEAI has allocated additional staff to the warmer homes scheme, knowing the funding will increase year on year. There has been a major increase this year and there will be a further increase...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Local authorities are responsible for municipal waste collection and waste management planning within their functional areas. It is open to any local authority to re-enter the waste collection market as direct service providers if it so chooses, either alongside existing permitted service providers or subject to making arrangements to replace those providers. Under section 60(3) of the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is right. In government, we can pass legislation, as could this House. This House, in the end, is the final arbiter. We have to have the numbers in the House. That is our democratic system. We have a waste action plan containing some 200 actions, and I see that as a central focus of what I and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, want to deliver. As...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: One of the things I am most proud of was to be a councillor on Dublin City Council for six years, from 1997 to 2002. In those years, as I remember, there were very lengthy debates about waste management, bin collection and bin services. Councillors sometimes have a hard decision because the gallery is right behind them rather than at a distance. I remember at the time taking a difficult...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Waste Management (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: We need to do that with funding, first and foremost. If we could sit down and agree funding mechanisms for local authorities based on sustainable long-term commitments, that would make very real the people's ambitions for whatever new services we want to see local authorities delivering.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Grid (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The National Smart Metering Programme will roll out and install 2.4 million meters by 2025 and in the process make available new products and services to energy consumers. It is co-ordinated by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) with ESB Networks (ESBN) delivering the electricity meter rollout on the ground. The meter replacement programme is taking place on a phased...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Illegal Dumping (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: While the primary responsibility for management and enforcement responses to illegal dumping lies with the local authorities, my Department continues to provide extensive policy, financial and legislative support to the local authority sector to support their efforts. Almost €15m has been provided to local authorities under the Anti-Dumping Initiative (ADI) since it was first...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In December 2022, my Department published Ireland's Digital Connectivity Strategy which supports the ambition outlined in the National Digital Strategy and sets out a number of ambitious targets, including that:all Irish households and businesses will be covered by a Gigabit network no later than 2028;all populated areas will be covered by 5G no later than 2030, anddigital connectivity will...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Data Centres (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I am aware of letter of the 16 October 2023 from the Chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council responding to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Environment and Climate Action, in relation to data centres. My Department, in conjunction with other relevant Departments and agencies where appropriate, will consider the recommendations of the Council. The Government Statement on the role of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland is in the top five globally for installed wind power capacity per capita, with approximately 4.6 GW of onshore wind generation capacity, and is a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto the grid. Solar energy is a growing source of electricity and is rapidly transforming Ireland’s energy system with approximately 700 MW of grid connected capacity....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland administers a range of residential energy upgrade schemes on behalf of my Department. Almost 39,000 home energy upgrades have been supported through these schemes to the end of October of this year. This is an increase of 112% on the same period of last year and above the overall target of 37,000 home energy upgrades for 2023. It is critically...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Under the Climate Action Plan Update 23, Ireland has set a target of 80% of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2030 and to reach 22 GW of installed renewable electricity generation capacity by 2030, made up of 9 GW of onshore wind, 8 GW of solar and at least 5 GW of offshore wind. This will require unprecedented levels of investment in renewable electricity generation...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: Commercial operators’ fibre rollouts are progressing at pace. Open eir, as part of their IFN fibre programme currently rolling out nationwide, plan to connect over 1.9m premises to their commercial fibre network by 2026. Open eir have already passed over 44,000 homes and businesses to gigabit services in Co. Kerry, with a further c.19,000 premises passed over the next 2 – 3...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: In February 2022, Government announced an enhanced package of measures to support the uptake of home energy upgrades. This included the introduction of a new National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (NHEUS) and the establishment of a network of registered One Stop Shops. The NHEUS supports homeowners wishing to undertake a whole home energy upgrade to achieve a BER of at least B2 with a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Fuel Sales (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: While Local Authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the solid fuel regulations and ensuring that only approved fuels are available on the Irish market, I continue to engage extensively with the sector to support their enforcement efforts. My Department is working with the Local Government Management Agency to develop an enhanced enforcement structure to support the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Change Negotiations (16 Nov 2023)

Eamon Ryan: I represented Ireland at pre-COP28 which gathered global ministers to discuss some of the key issues on the climate change agenda in advance of the conference. Given the complexity of climate issues and the limited time available for negotiations at COP28, pre-COP provided an opportunity to begin laying the groundwork for agreement among Parties on key topics such as adaptation, mitigation,...