Results 581-600 of 26,350 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Waste Management (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 303, 304 and 305 together. As a result of concerns raised by the Data Protection Commission regarding the legal basis for local authority use of CCTV in tackling illegal dumping, my Department introduced legislative provisions to allow for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant usage of CCTV and other mobile recording devices for litter...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Wind Energy Generation (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 306 and 307 together. The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) mandates the establishment of Community Benefit Funds (CBFs). Each RESS Project is required to contribute a minimum payment of €2 per Megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated annually to its respective CBF. The RESS Terms and Conditions specify the mandatory distribution of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Air Services (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015 to 2021 place an obligation on public bodies, including commercial semi-State companies, to carry out their functions in a manner that is consistent with our national climate action ambitions, namely a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and the achievement of climate neutrality by 2050. The Climate Action Framework for...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Environmental Investigations (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 310 and 309 together. My Department has not commissioned any research on chemtrails, climate engineering or geoengineering activities within Irish airspace. Claims regarding chemtrails frequently stem from suspicions regarding the trails that can be seen from passing aircraft. My Department has no evidence to suggest that such trails are anything...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people at risk of energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department and is funded through the carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund. Last year saw a record spend of almost...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department funds a number of schemes administered by the SEAI to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their dwellings. Individual energy upgrade grants are available under the Better Energy Homes Scheme; the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme, which provides an end-to-end service through One Stop Shops; and the Community Energy Grant scheme, which supports energy...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Programmes (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Climate Action Plan and the National Retrofit Plan set ambitious targets to retrofit the equivalent of 500,000 homes to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B2/cost optimal level and the installation of 400,000 heat pumps in existing homes by end-2030. The new Programme for Government (Securing Ireland's Future) commits to ramping up the achievement of these targets through continued...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Reviews (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department engaged CEPA (Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Ltd) in December 2024 to update their previous modelling which informed the Energy Security Package in 2023. The aim of this additional modelling is to update the analysis of security of supply in Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems in 2035 and 2040, using the latest available data (previous analysis...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Strategic Infrastructure (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As outlined in the Programme for Government, the Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The Programme for Government also commits to achieving 80% of Ireland’s electricity generation from renewable...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: As part of Budget 2025, Government approved a new tranche of Electricity Credits, the Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Scheme IV through which over 2.2 million households will receive two payments of €125 (inclusive of VAT) in the November/December 2024 and January/February 2025 billing cycles, at a total cost of €520 million (excluding VAT). The scheme is operated by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department funds a number of grant schemes, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), to support homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their properties. Grant support for window and door replacement is available under the National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme (One Stop Shop service) as well as under the Community Energy Grant Scheme as part of a whole...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325 and 326 together. There are no NGO’s operating under the aegis of my Department. There are 15 State bodies under the aegis of my Department. The information sought in the Question is an operational matter for each of the State bodies concerned and, as such, it is not information held by my Department. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Plan (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I would refer the Deputy to the reply to Question No 8 of Wednesday, 30 April 2025. As set out in that reply, my Department is now preparing a draft Social Climate Plan in consultation with relevant Departmental stakeholders and with the European Commission. In line with the steps and timelines set out in the Regulation, and with European Commission guidance provided to the Member States...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Projects (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Sceirde Rocks project is a 450 MW offshore wind project that was one of four winners in my Department's first offshore wind auction in 2023. The project is owned by Corio Generation, who announced on 8 April 2025 a planned corporate restructuring that would see them focus on a smaller portfolio of projects worldwide. By letter of 25 April, Corio formally notified my Department that the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Projects (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs) are a critical piece of the Government’s strategic, plan led approach for managing our maritime area to ensure that development takes place in a sustainable way. In order to accelerate the process of site designation for offshore my Department is developing a single DMAP covering all of Ireland’s maritime area is the optimal choice for...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Data (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The South Coast Designated Maritime Area Plan (DMAP) was adopted by the Oireachtas in October 2024. The DMAP is Ireland's first maritime spatial plan for offshore wind development and it identifies four development areas for fixed bottom wind farms. My Department's 900 MW Tonn Nua Offshore Wind Auction will focus on site A, known as Tonn Nua, and the auction process under the Renewable...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: European Union (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: A Letter of Formal Notice was received on 7 May, setting out the European Commission’s view that Ireland has not fully transposed Council Directive 1999/31/EC of 26 April 1999 on the landfill of waste. This Directive sets technical standards for constructing and monitoring landfills to prevent adverse effects on human health, water, soil and air. My Department is reviewing the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 332, 333, 334, 335 and 336 together. The electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are commercial and liberalised. Operating within this overall EU framework, responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including the matters raised by the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Strategies (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My colleague, the Minister for Finance, leads on the achievement of the Government’s economic, fiscal and financial policy goals, having regard to the goals set out in the Programme for Government. Since 2018 Ireland has operated a sovereign green bond programme which is open to all investors. The proceeds, some €11.3 billion to date, have been allocated to the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Production (13 May 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 338 and 339 together. As outlined in the Programme for Government, this Government is committed to taking decisive action to radically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve a 51% reduction in emissions from 2018 to 2030, and to achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050. The Government set out a clear vision in the 2023 'Energy Security in...