Results 621-640 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

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

Eamon Ryan: Thirty-five years ago we read and understood the science of climate change and the need for action.

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

Eamon Ryan: I would like to see Deputy Murphy supporting-----

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

Eamon Ryan: What I would love to see Deputy Murphy supporting, as part of this new investment to a green economy, is the investment in Rosslare Harbour. It is at the centre of a new, cleaner way of doing things, including the reintroduction of rail freight and the restoration of the rail line from Wexford to Waterford-----

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

Eamon Ryan: -----to revitalise both.

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

Eamon Ryan: That is the future. It is going green.

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

Eamon Ryan: Ireland’s all-of-government international climate finance roadmap, published in July 2022, sets out the strategy for achieving our international climate finance targets, which involve more than doubling our funding for developing countries to €225 million annually by 2025. This commitment was made in 2021 by my colleague the Tánaiste at COP26 in Glasgow. Since 2020, we...

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

Eamon Ryan: This is very rare, but I disagree with the Deputy. Climate finance is overseas development aid. It fits absolutely within international definitions as well as the rules and spirit of what overseas development aid is about. It is about protecting the most vulnerable. It is, as the Deputy said, bottom up. It is about building resilience. We are good at it in this country because we have a...

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

Eamon Ryan: I agree with the Deputy's latter point. Public finance will be important, but it is going to be challenging because we in the developed world have to extend more and there should also be a broadening of contributors to that. We should be very careful here. Last Friday, I spoke to one of the leaders of one of the African states who is a real expert and a brilliant leader in the area. He...

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

Eamon Ryan: The community energy grant scheme is part of the Government's national retrofit programme. It aims to upgrade groups of buildings to high energy efficiency and renewable energy standards across communities in an efficient and cost-effective way. Capital funding of €45 million is provided for the scheme this year. The primary objective of the scheme is to support and maximise the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Those domestic areas have already been regulated for some time. Deputy Ó Murchú has been consistent in representing his constituents who, during the gas price spike, found themselves facing huge increases, so I am familiar with that. To answer Deputy O'Rourke's question, the options he mentioned, particularly the likes of heat pumps or other renewable sources to provide more...

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

Eamon Ryan: The programme for Government commits that carbon tax revenues will be used to ensure carbon tax increases 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 retrofitting programme; and to allocate €1.5 billion to...

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

Eamon Ryan: I believe we can meet our climate obligations and targets, which we need to do to protect our people from the incredible damage that will be done if we do not stop runaway climate change. The fact that last year, our emissions dropped by 6.8% shows it is possible. It is not just for environmental reasons. There are many social benefits as we make this switch to green. There are also,...

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

Eamon Ryan: I fear that the Deputy's words may be stoking suspicion and are not a true reflection of what is actually happening. First, we will likely meet our target for the number of electric vehicles on the road by the end of next year. I would like to see it higher and faster but we are on track. We are providing infrastructure. This summer, we agreed major investment, which is actually happening...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Natural Gas Grid (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The key document here is our energy security paper from November last year, which looked at a whole range of different risks to energy security. That is the place where we say that the only facility we could or would introduce is one that is purely temporary, strategic and security oriented. In those circumstances, where the project is State-led, I believe conditions could be set as regards...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Natural Gas Grid (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I take the Deputy's point that LNG potentially has the same emissions as coal. We will not be increasing our importation of LNG gas. That is agreed. We are not going to breach our climate change targets through any of this. That is an absolute given. That will hold firm in any court, in any debate and in any government, whether a future government or this Government. With a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Under section 9F of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, as amended, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities is responsible for the regulation of gas installers with respect to safety. I refer the Deputy to the CRU, as a statutorily independent regulator, for updates and timelines on this matter in the first instance. The CRU will shortly seek to introduce a statutory instrument to...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Regulatory Bodies (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I am reassured by Deputy O'Rourke's comments that some of those concerns may have been addressed. This development has been under consideration for ten years, going right back to 2014 when it was first proposed. In the intervening years, the CRU has carried out a lot of consultation. I can understand why people would be concerned about the implications of any change in their industry but I...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Natural Gas Imports (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I believe it is possible for us - if we require a facility - to set conditions in a State-led facility for security only, that it would only be non-fracked gas that would be held. That is possible as one of the conditions that a State-led facility might be set out. There is no Trojan horse here. People have completely misunderstood that amendment. It was purely technical in nature. It...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Natural Gas Imports (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: This has been a long, drawn-out process, because it is important to get it right. The original study started in 2021. We approached SEPA, a consultancy company which did a lot of detailed analysis to the end of this decade. Furthermore, when we had agreed our energy security paper, we commissioned GNI to look at various options such as onshore, offshore, gas caverns and so on. They came...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Natural Gas Grid (15 Oct 2024)

Eamon Ryan: There is no game here and nobody is being taken for a fool. Not only am I not naive, I have a record going back 30 years of absolute commitment to climate action in our country, particularly in the area of keeping fossil fuels in the ground. For decades, we have campaigned and worked in that area and nothing has changed in that regard. The Government position has not changed. The Deputy...