Results 601-620 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: True, but it is an important matter that we need to get right. We need to learn from what has happened at the likes of Carlinn Hall so that we can help communities further.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Infrastructure (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As the Deputy may be aware, under section 9F of the revised Electricity Regulation Act 1999, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the regulation of gas installers in terms of safety. The CRU will shortly seek to introduce a statutory instrument to regulate non-domestic gas works by expanding the scope of the registered gas installers, RGI, scheme. My Department has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Infrastructure (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As with Deputy O’Rourke, I welcome the sort of feedback Deputy Ó Murchú is providing. We can be confident in some ways. In a sense, we regulated the domestic first and the lessons learned from that will help to ensure that any legal or other training issues are ironed out quickly, giving confidence to the commercial enterprises that are getting work done and to the industry...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Covid-19 pandemic was the main reason. It is not rocket science that during that period we were not allowed to build anything. We were not allowed to go into another house. Nothing could be retrofitted because people could not go outside a 2 km or 5 km radius. It took some time to ramp up from that but we have really ramped up. We will spend all the money this year and next year....

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I am not using Covid-19 as an excuse. I am just pointing out the reality, as the report also does. I am not evading or avoiding that the Comptroller and Auditor General said we should be looking to audit an account and track it in a different way. I do not rule that out. I accept the point being made. We may need to look in the future at whether we want to hypothecate in a way that is...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Renewable Energy Generation (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, manages a number of residential and community energy upgrade grant support schemes on behalf of my Department. Grant support of up to €6,500 is available to install heat pumps under the better energy homes scheme, and up to €10,500 under the national home energy upgrade scheme or the community energy grant scheme. The SEAI has...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 62 together. The North-South interconnector is an essential transmission infrastructure project that will link the electricity transmission networks of Ireland and Northern Ireland, leading to a more secure, affordable and sustainable supply of electricity across the island. It will facilitate the connection of 900 MW of renewable generation,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We have to maintain a certain independence. Sometimes as Minister it can be frustrating because I always seem to say in the first line of a response that I do not have responsibility for something or have to retain a certain distance, but that is true because of our legal systems and the need to allow regulatory agencies like the CRU and the ESB to operate. I have been across this...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I do not think the northern authorities want to go back to the drawing board. I agree with them. As I said, we attended a meeting of the European Energy Council today and Mario Draghi's report was discussed. It is all about the grid and the future economy. Economic development in the North is not easy at the moment, given budget constraints and so on. If we do not develop the economy...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: North-South Interconnector (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I expect the project will advance. While maintaining my independence, my message is that we need to build the interconnector. It is good for the North and the South. In fact, if we do not have it, it would be a disaster for this country to go back to a divided energy system. That would be the worst outcome for this country and all of our people.

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Tax Collection (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The programme for Government committed to allocate revenues raised from the increase in carbon tax rates out to 2030 to ensure that the increases in the carbon tax are progressive by spending €3 billion on targeted social welfare and other initiatives to prevent fuel poverty and ensure a just transition, to provide €5 billion to part-fund a socially progressive national...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Infrastructure (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: On the amendments, this is a very extensive Bill. It was 900 pages in the end and there were 150-odd amendments on the last Stage in the Seanad. My sense from officials is that issue was about making sure the law was not contradictory in some sense. There were changes because we only established MARA last year and made the switch from the foreshore licensing system to this new marine...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Infrastructure (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: No. The amendment, from my perspective, is around us requiring a gas storage facility, which has both onshore and offshore components. With regard to those two systems, offshore planning is different from onshore planning, and by the very nature of such a storage facility, it might be both so we have to make sure that if there was a future application for such a facility, there would not be...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I have not received a formal report from my Department on the actions undertaken by the Biden Administration as referenced in the question. The Government approved and published the Energy Security in Ireland to 2030 report last November which concludes that Ireland’s future energy will be secure by moving from a fossil fuel-based energy system to an electricity-led system,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Deputy is right. That is an issue for CRU and in the end, An Bord Pleanála is the relevant planning authority in any application for such a facility. CRU's role in gas regulation goes back, by my recollection, to the whole Corrib issue, where this was a central issue - whether we could guarantee the safety of local communities. CRU does that on an ongoing basis. I have not asked...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Policy (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: By all means. Obviously, if any facility is built, that would be the first thing for consideration by both the regulator and the planning authority. You would have to make sure that you have all the processes and procedures in place. However, we are not at the position where we are deciding whether we would have any LNG facility. There is further analysis needed. The Deputy mentioned the...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Conservation (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I hear the Deputy's concerns. They are reflected in fact that with an AHB or some similar multi-apartment model, it is a 50% grant, whereas if it is dealing with a commercial rental organisation, REIT or others, it is a 30% grant. I am not so certain about the risks. The benefit is that it will mean lower cost for the tenant. We have a real difficulty in the rental sector. Tenants do not...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Conservation (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I take both recommendations. It is a valid point. We need to monitor, measure and continually adapt. If there are signs that retrofitting is leading to big rent increases, increased evictions or any other such measure, obviously we would have to adjust and see what can be done. It is right to start going into the rental sector, however, and make sure it is not left behind. We need to...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Energy Infrastructure (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I will not read the prepared written response because it is similar to the answer I gave to the first question. All these questions relate to a similar issue. I do not see any implications other than for a potential project. In Ireland's case a non-commercial temporary strategic storage facility would go through the strategic infrastructure process rather than to the local authority....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Climate Change Policy (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We changed the tax code 15 or 20 years ago because we wanted to support lower emissions vehicles.