Results 15,881-15,900 of 26,766 for speaker:David Cullinane
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Supplementary) (26 Nov 2019) David Cullinane: I welcome the response. I want to follow up with a number of questions. I will set out the problem. Patricia King, the president of ICTU, was before the Joint Committee on Climate Action last week and we had trade union officials before the joint committee earlier today. Essentially, they have stated that the infrastructure is woefully inadequate, that the just transition has not got off...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Supplementary) (26 Nov 2019) David Cullinane: On the €20 million for retrofit, how many homes are expected to be retrofitted and what is the average cost per home?
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Supplementary) (26 Nov 2019) David Cullinane: On the €20 million, the Minister is saying that there will be a mix in terms of who can avail of the, on average, €20,000 retrofit grant. Some of the applicants might be social housing residents through local authorities but others will be people who will have to pay a level of capital upfront. We need to monitor this area to ensure that the majority of applicants are not in...
- Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2019
Vote 29 - Communications, Climate Action and Environment (Supplementary) (26 Nov 2019) David Cullinane: This needs to be done fairly to ensure there is an appropriate mix. I would argue that the majority of the retrofit needs to be to local authority housing, such that there will be a minority of private residents who can make a capital investment.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: I welcome Mr. Tuohy and wish him the best of luck in his role when he is officially appointed to his position. I wish him well. In his opening statement, Mr. Tuohy referenced the climate action plan and the target of 70% of electricity being generated from renewables by 2030. My first question is, will we reach that target by 2030?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: Is Mr. Tuohy saying offshore is the one area where we need to do more?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: Many of the environmental groups that we meet would have more ambitious targets - some 80% and others 90% - by 2030. Would it be possible to exceed the 70% target? Could we be more ambitious in this area?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: What is Mr. Tuohy's view about where we potentially could go? What is the closest to 100% that could we get to?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: I understand. That was my question. Mr. Tuohy is confident that we will reach the 70% target comfortably. If environmental groups are saying that we can be more ambitious, in Mr. Tuohy's experience, given the caveats put on it, what would be the closest to 100% that we could achieve?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: One of the challenges which we just discussed as part of the climate action strategy is to have more electricity generated from renewables. We talked about the targets. It is not as simple as that because there are other issues. For example, we also want more electric cars on the road. We want to decarbonise public transport and have electric buses and trains. We also want people to...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EirGrid: Chairman Designate (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: I thank Mr. Tuohy for his very comprehensive replies. I genuinely wish him well in his role.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: I will ask my questions very succinctly. If the answers could be given in the same fashion, that would help. I want to get through as much as I can. I will support the Bill. I supported it on Second Stage and I welcome this scrutiny. When did the Department first become aware that there would need to be a just transition policy and framework put in place? At what point did it dawn...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: Was that in 2016?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: How long has the Department known that power plants in the midlands would have to be closed?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: I thank Mr. Goodwin for that. Why is it only now that the Government is looking to put in place a process? According to Mr. Carroll - we spoke at the Committee of Public Accounts on this issue quite extensively as well - the just transition commissioner is only in post for a couple of weeks. The funding was only put in place in the budget of this year. We had a decision made prematurely...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: There is a fear of a strategy but it is clear that engagement has been woeful, from the trade unions' perspective.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: Can Mr. Carroll tell the committee how that is possible, given that the Department has known for some time that there would need to be a just transition and given that it should have been planning this for years? We are sitting here today with the trade unions, and recently with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, saying that the engagement is appalling and not at the level that it should...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: None of those initiatives is in place and working at this point in time. The detail has to be worked out on some of those solutions. We talked about the retrofitting programme and the funding that was made available for that. It is still is not up and running or worked out. The just transition commissioner will have no role whatsoever in industrial relations matters. We have heard that...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: Perhaps Mr. Doyle can take this question. Is Bord na Móna engaging with the trade unions?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Just Transition (Worker and Community Environmental Rights) Bill 2018: Discussion (26 Nov 2019)
David Cullinane: What is the Department's response to that?