Results 1,121-1,140 of 2,990 for speaker:Ossian Smyth
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: I welcome the opportunity to meet with the select committee to discuss the 2022 Estimates for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. I am accompanied by officials from the Department. The total provision for the Department in 2022 is €858 million, comprising €700 million of capital, excluding capital carryover of €58 million, and €168...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: I am happy to take it.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Our investment has to align with our strategy, which is rapidly changing. We have a new climate action plan and rapid development of our policies. We are constantly realigning our expenditure to meet our strategic goals. The Deputy will see that the annexe to our climate action plan has very detailed items and, naturally, our expenditure has to align with those items. Is the Deputy asking...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Work was under way, but there is a new layout in the revised Estimates that has to be aligned with the Le Chéile programmes. There has been a change in some of the subheads in the categorisation of where expenditure goes. In some cases, some subheads have been combined, while in others they have been split out. For better transparency, we have tried to make sure that the correct...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Was the Deputy's question on whether the public consultation on the just transition fund was over?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: A public consultation is in train at present, which will go on until 14 February. That will determine what will happen in future. We will have to wait until the middle of February to get the results on that.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: The Deputy's first question was about the reduction in emissions. He is correct that there was a significant reduction in 2020 compared with 2019. The question is to what extent that was caused by the pandemic and the obvious reduction in economic activity across sectors. Clearly, there was a major drop in transport emissions during that year. There was a reduction in 2021, but there was...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Does Deputy Bruton mean applications for expenditure for projects under the climate action plan?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: The latest tranche was launched in November. I understand that applications are still open for that. They will continue on that route every few months. It will be open again for more projects.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: The Deputy's first question was on subhead A1, which relates to administration costs.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Our Revised Estimate for 2022 is for €39.6 million. I am looking at the same thing as the Deputy. Our 2021 Estimate was for €31.3 million. Am I missing something? There is an overall increase under subhead A1 of €8.3 million. Is the Deputy looking at something slightly different from me?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: I can see that now. That is a reduction because they have been moved to category C.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Total staff numbers have increased by approximately 90 from 2021 to 2022.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Is this subhead A3?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Some €10 million of that EPA money will be moved into research. The total expenditure in EPA is increasing from one year to the next, although it appears to be decreasing. However, it is a recategorisation into the research category. Did the Deputy have another question in respect of subhead A8?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: The EU just transition fund is a newly established fund that comes under the 2021-27 programming round, under EU Regulation No. 1056 of 2021, within the framework for EU cohesion policy. The fund is to address adverse affects of climate transition by supporting the most affected territories and workers concerned and promote a balanced socio-economic condition. Ireland will receive...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: I think the Deputy had another one. Was it subhead A10?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: There was €108 million in funding for the climate action fund, which was allocated in 2020 for bog rehabilitation. This is planned to store 100 million tonnes of carbon out to 2050. This project is financed by the national recovery and resilience plan. To come to the Deputy's question about the biofuels obligation, I think his question was whether it-----
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: There is a 26% reduction. The income from the National Oil Reserves Agency in 2021 was €80 million. In 2022, it is €59 million and that reflects the reduction in the NORA levy during that time, which is balanced by the biofuels obligation. That is how the decision was made.
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2022
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Revised) (8 Feb 2022) Ossian Smyth: Does the Chairman want to do that in today's session?