Results 201-220 of 28,190 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: National Oil Reserves Agency (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The National Oil Reserves Agency (NORA) is funded by a levy on the sale of oil products. Its revenue is used to fund the purchase and storage of Ireland’s strategic oil stocks in the event of a supply disruption, and other expenses of the Agency. NORA's Annual Report and Financial Statements for 2024 show that levy income for 2024 was €122,937,000. The National Oil Reserves...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Environmental Schemes (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Domestic electricity micro-generation is supported by the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS). Grants are available through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) for domestic installations of solar PV up to a maximum of €1,800 in 2025 and are available to houses built and occupied prior to 2021. Since the introduction of the MSS domestic grant in 2022, the MSS has...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Official Engagements (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I recently travelled to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly for High Level Week. While there, I participated in a number of high level events, including the Secretary General's Climate Summit, the COP30-IEA Climate Solutions Dialogue event, and the opening of the 80th General Assembly, which I attended with both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste. During the week I...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: State Bodies (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1993 under the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992. It is a non-commercial, independent regulatory body as set out under that Act and, as Minister, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the EPA of its functions. As a regulator, the EPA enforces environmental legislation and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: International Agreements (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government recognises that our reliance on fossil fuels is incompatible with the Paris Agreement and a low-carbon future. Ireland supports measures that reinforce and advance our transition away from reliance on fossil fuels and will promote and support measures at international level which avoid locking in further long-term fossil fuel consumption. International collaboration is key...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Climate Change Policy (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, more commonly known as COP, meets annually in a location decided by the Parties. In practice, the COP is usually hosted in the country which holds the Presidency of the COP, which rotates amongst the five regional groupings. Ireland is a member of the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) which is...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Wind Energy Generation (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 144, 145 and 146 together. Under the Programme for Government, Government reaffirmed the target of increasing renewable generation to supply 80% of our electricity demand and to continue the annual Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) auction programme to underpin this. The RESS auctions provide pathways for renewable developers to plan and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Greenhouse Gas Emissions (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together. Achieving Ireland's climate ambitions requires a significant, long-term and coordinated investment of both public and private capital. The costs and investment frameworks for the 2030 and 2050 targets are outlined in Government strategies, most notably the Climate Action Plan, the Long-term Strategy on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Emergency Planning (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Preparations by local authorities and the preparation of flood defences is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Office of Public Works respectively. My Department engaged in significant preparatory work in advance of Storm Amy last week including attending technical briefings hosted by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electricity Generation (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to promoting the Small-Scale Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (SRESS). The scheme provides financial incentives to develop smaller scale solar and wind energy and was designed with two support mechanisms to suit two distinct cohorts of applicants. The first phase of SRESS was launched in July 2023. This sees both SRESS and the Microgeneration...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Electricity Generation (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The second phase of the Micro-generation Support Scheme (MSS) commenced on 22 September 2022 when the SEAI extended the solar PV grant scheme to the non-domestic sector, including schools, businesses, small farms and community enterprises, for installations up to 6kW. An extended funding range from €2,700 to €162,600 was introduced in July 2023 to support non-domestic...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Security (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161 and 162 together. There is both a drone detection system and counter-UAS technology deployed at Dublin Airport. The operation of these systems and the maintenance of broader effective procedures to deal with illegal drone use at the airport are operational matters for daa. As such, my Department does not have...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Airport Security (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 164, 165 and 166 together. All airports in the State with commercial traffic are required to have procedures in place to deal with the safety risk posed by illegal drone activity. The procedures are developed in accordance with guidance on managing drone safety risk issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Safety critical areas are defined,...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Irish Rail. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Dublin Bus in conjunction with the NTA. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to Dublin Bus and the NTA for direct reply. Please...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Personal Injury Claims (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: 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 service provision. As the Deputy may be aware, the possibility of introducing a no-fault insurance system in Ireland has previously been examined. The Second and Final Report of Personal Injuries...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government (PfG) has committed to "Work to enhance and support the delivery of a skilled workforce to maintain and operate public transport vehicles". My Department chairs the Public Transport Workforce Taskforce which aims to progress this PfG commitment and to identify options to assist with resolving challenges regarding the recruitment of...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services (8 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: 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, including the BusConnects routes in Dublin. As the Deputy may be aware, BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, with...

Financial Resolution No. 2: Corporation Tax (7 Oct 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I move: (1) THAT section 291A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended, in subsection (6)(a), by the substitution of the following subparagraph for subparagraph (i): “(i) any allowances to be made to a company under section 284 as applied by this section, and any balancing allowances (within the meaning of section 288) to be made to a company in respect of a...