Results 21-40 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Government policy in relation to energy security is set out in 'Energy Security in Ireland to 2030' report which was approved and published in November 2023. There has been no change to this policy as a result of recent litigation.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Part 9 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 provides, inter alia, for the setting up of a legal cost financial assistance mechanism by way of Regulations, to address the legal costs in planning and environment related judicial reviews. An interdepartmental working group (IDG) has been set up to discuss how to bring this provision forward. The IDG is made up of representatives of ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Government is committed to supporting the delivery up to 5.7 TWh of indigenously produced biomethane by 2030 to further accelerate the reduction of overall economy-wide emissions. To deliver on this commitment, the recently established Biomethane Implementation Group, chaired by my Department, will oversee target delivery through the implementation of the National Biomethane Strategy. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: As part of Budget 2025, the Government approved a new scheme to provide electricity credits to more than 2.2 million households worth €250 in total per household. Two payments of €125 (including VAT) will be made between November 2024 and February 2025 to domestic electricity accounts, including those with Pay As You Go meters, which are subject to distribution use of system...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Quality (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Air Pollution Act, 1987 provides that “the occupier of any premises shall not cause or permit an emission from such premises in such a quantity, or in such a manner, as to be a nuisance”. The relevant enforcement agencies are the local authorities. Furthermore, the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuels) Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 529 of 2022), which took effect from...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Tackling textile waste is a key priority of the National Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy 2020-2025. A number of EU and national initiatives designed to achieve this are underway, including the following. The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles (2022) proposes measures to make producers take responsibility for products throughout the value chain including waste, aiming...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Quality (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The EPA operates and manages Ireland’s national ambient air quality monitoring programme (AAMP) in conjunction with partners such as local authorities. This programme is funded by my Department and includes dedicated air quality monitoring stations for various pollutants and meets EU requirements for comparison of results with annual and/or daily average limit values. A significant...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Food Waste (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Tackling food waste is one of the key steps we can take to achieve sustainability, to help combat climate change, and to support the transition to a circular economy and bioeconomy. Ireland is committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2030 in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Department published Ireland’s National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap 2023-2025...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Artificial Intelligence (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: My Department continues to take advice from the National Cyber Security Centre in respect of the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and are following recommendations provided in June 2023. All applications used within the Department are required to be in line with Departmental policies and procedures. No licenses or subscriptions to AI tools have been purchased to date. Therefore, no...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: National Broadband Plan (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland. The Ballintogher area is within the BLUE area on the broadband map which is available on my Department's website www.gov.ie/en/publication/5634d-national-broadband-plan-map/ . The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Cybersecurity Policy (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The NCSC does not publish the details of victims of cybersecurity incidents in the State. However, in 2024 the first National Cyber Security Annual Update was published which provided some detail on incidents in 2023. The NCSC received 5,276 incident reports in 2023, of which 721 were confirmed as cyber security incidents which required responses. The NCSC also performed 309...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland is a world leader in the integration of variable renewable electricity onto to the grid with circa 7 GW of renewable electricity generation capacity currently connected, including circa 5 GW of wind capacity and circa 1.5 GW of solar PV capacity. Our ambitious targets, as laid out in Climate Action Plans 2023 and 2024, of 9 GW onshore wind, at least 5 GW offshore wind and 8 GW...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Quality (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Clean Air Strategy published in 2023 set outs our ambition in relation to reaching the WHO guidelines by 2040 and the roadmap for how this will be achieved. In addition, the new EU ambient air quality Directive will set more stringent legally binding limits for Ireland to achieve by 2030 and plans are already in development to support achievement of these levels. Ireland is currently not...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Government has set a target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030, including a specific target of 8 GW of solar capacity. My Department has established two key support schemes to meet these targets, addressing large-scale and smaller-scale generators. The first element, the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), is characterised by a series of competitive auctions, with four to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Properties (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Department has four occupied buildings in Dublin the addresses and eircodes are below. Building eircode Tom Johnson House, Haddington Road, Dublin 4 D04K7X4 Booterstown Hall, Booterstown Avenue, Blackrock Co.Dublin A94NZR6 GSI Corestore,Carmenhall Road, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Dublin 18 ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Official Travel (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: My Department has collated the information requested by the Deputy in respect of all foreign travel undertaken in my capacity as Minster for the Environment, Climate and Communications and my accompanying officials in 2023 and 2024 and this is set out in the table below. This covers all travel which has been processed through the Department to date. 2023 Date ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Conservation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in, or at risk of, energy poverty through the provision of free energy upgrades. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of the Government. The scheme is funded through carbon tax receipts via the Exchequer and by the European Regional Development Fund....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: Following a decision by Government in 2023, all future offshore renewable energy (ORE) projects in Ireland will be located within maritime areas identified for this purpose through the establishment of Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs). The move to a plan-led, or State-led, system reduces risks associated with non-plan led development and as a result should accelerate the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Generation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: 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. Since the introduction of the MSS domestic grant in February 2022, the SEAI have seen application levels rise sharply. In 2023,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (22 Jan 2025)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Action Plan 2024 reaffirms Ireland’s ambitious targets of 9 GW of onshore wind capacity, 8 GW of solar capacity and at least 5 GW of offshore wind capacity connected to the grid by 2030 in order to meet the requirement of 80% of electricity demand supplied by renewables. Under the aegis of the Accelerating Renewable Electricity Taskforce (ARE Taskforce), officials from...