Results 6,481-6,500 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: I did not say it was a policy that would be easy to implement but we do have to find a way in terms of how agriculture is going to adapt. That is a question for the committee. How are we going to develop intervention tools that can help agriculture to be a part of the change we all have to undertake?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: The Deputy is like a senior counsel. He has been watching Deputy Sherlock.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: There were roughly 2,000 electric vehicles purchased this year, bringing the total to 7,000. The expectation is that the number purchased will double next year, so another 4,000. The support for a fleet of 40,000 gives us headroom for a few years but it is by no means thought of as a charging network for 500,000 vehicles, which is the target for 2030. It is a matter of kick-starting the...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: It is setting up the network. Obviously, it will be doing it in partnership with others so I expect other players will come in over time. The application is to be validated and the full detail of where and with whom is to be worked out. The other thing I should say is that those who buy electric vehicles get €600 towards a home charger, so they can have a charger of their own....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: I do not think that target will present a problem but as we push on, problems will emerge. This has been done in consultation with the industry but there is no doubt that in going further again, there are challenges at each stage. My understanding is that this particular increase is within their capacity.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: The green bond raised €3 billion. I cannot remember the coupon but it was a very keen rate; I am sure we can get the figure for the Deputy. I do not know the projects for which it is being deployed but I know it was oversubscribed by several multiples. There is a market for raising funds for green bonds. The challenge in respect of some of the more difficult investments to fund...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: This is public sector funding.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: I understand that foreshore legislation is a big part of the barrier to offshore. Planning regulations may be an issue as well. For as long as I have been in politics, there has been talk of reforming the Foreshore Acts. This goes back a long time. My understanding of the difficulty is that they are trying to accommodate in one fell swoop the transport, fishery, and offshore wind needs....
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: A recent report stated we have a window in which to get this right but that it is not an indefinite window.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: I am not sure whether there are heads of a Bill.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: On the climate action fund, there were two Dublin-based district heating schemes but the other schemes were largely national. There was the scheme for electric vehicles and there were schemes associated with public lighting and natural gas. The latter was agriculture-based, using natural gas injection. Therefore, there was a mix. The schemes were not all Dublin-based. There were two...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: And the semi-State bodies.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: Yes, there will be another round. Obviously, there is independent adjudication so decisions have to be based on the quality of the proposals. There was a marking system. The marking system covered the impact on carbon emissions, the degree of innovation and so on. A very fair marking system was put in place. The schemes that won were ones that could have a wide community impact, to be...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: It is part of the bio-economy strategy that is being developed. There are sustainability criteria applied to imported biomass material.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: Obviously the detail of that has to be worked out. I doubt if it will involve establishing a separate Cabinet committee. I do not know yet. We will have to decide the best model and hear people's input. I chair a high-level group of assistant secretaries, representing five Departments. That group will probably be key. Whether the Taoiseach chooses to have an individual Cabinet committee...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: The approach we will seek to adopt will involve identifying the policy initiatives and, as we have done in other such exercises, setting a quarter by which they will be delivered. It will also involve overseeing the delivery and working with the Oireachtas and other groups to populate the coming year's agenda. This is not a static process whereby we decide in February that this is it for...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: I am certainly open to the consideration. I understand the Government will be given proposals on carbon budgeting. This year the investments related to climate action are being separated in the ordinary REV but there are proposals being developed.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: Yes.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action: Third Report of the Citizens' Assembly: Discussion (Resumed) (5 Dec 2018)
Richard Bruton: One sees the aggregate impact, then, in each Department.