Results 9,981-10,000 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: In response to Deputy O'Rourke, I expect it will be a single Supplementary Estimate that we will bring to the Dáil, and it will be to Vote 29 of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. That capital is then provided to EirGrid to be able to place the orders and, in turn, for it to enter into contracts or to sell on the equipment to developers. The key thing is...

EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Priority is being given to renewables and that will make up 80% of our electricity generation capacity by the end of this decade. I am convinced of that. We have to do that to meet our climate targets but there is also the comparative competitive advantage that we have in renewables. We also know it requires backup that is open and flexible, particularly gas plant and combined cycle gas...

EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Bill 2022: Committee and Remaining Stages (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I apologise for being inadvertently late. To answer Deputy Naughten and others, we have estimated that a €350 million charge from our Department's Vote to EirGrid this year is the likely expenditure. There may be some further cost but we will not know that until all the contractual arrangements are in place. We cannot be specific because contract negotiations are ongoing as we...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Prices (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Government is acutely aware of the impact of rising energy prices on households. The most immediate factor affecting electricity prices in Ireland and Europe is high international gas prices where we are a price taker. Gas prices are now unprecedentedly high, which feeds directly through to retail electricity prices as the wholesale price of electricity correlates strongly with the price of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together. The Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures Act 2022 established a scheme for the making in 2022, of a once-off Electricity Costs Emergency Benefit Payment to each domestic electricity account, having regard to the exceptional rise in energy prices. The credit of €176.22 (excluding VAT) is being applied to...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Supply Board (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The management of connections to the electricity grid is a matter for EirGrid and ESB Networks under rules determined by the Commission for Regulation Utilities (CRU), which is an independent statutory body. This is an operational matter for the Management of ESB Networks and is therefore not a matter in which the Minister has a statutory function.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) is an independent advisory body tasked with assessing and advising on how Ireland is making the transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. It was established under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. The CCAC works to provide contributions in critiquing, informing and shaping...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Climate Action Plan (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Ireland’s Long-term Climate Action Strategy (LTS) is currently being finalised and will be submitted to the European Commission in the coming weeks.Ireland prepared a draft of the LTS in 2019 in line with the then climate ambition set out in Ireland’s Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015. However, with the Programme for Government commitment to substantially...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Fuel Poverty (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Energy poverty, or fuel poverty is influenced by a person’s income, the energy efficiency of their home, and the cost of the energy they use in their home. The ESRI recently published analysis which indicates that, following the recent sharp increases in energy prices, the share of households that could be at risk of energy poverty has...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: Earlier this year, the Government approved a package of supports as part of the delivery of Ireland’s residential retrofit programme. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more affordable for homeowners to undertake home energy upgrades, for warmer, healthier and more comfortable homes, with lower energy bills and lower emissions. Included in these measures is the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 12 together. The Climate Action Plan 2021 contains actions that will provide a solid basis for the appropriate expansion of district heating in Ireland, including the establishment of a multi-disciplinary District Heating Steering Group. The District Heating Steering Group, which has met six times so far this year, is working...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The European Commission’s RePowerEU Communication of 18 May 2022 sets out measures to end dependence on Russian energy, including: saving energy, diversifying supplies away from Russia, substituting fossil fuels by accelerating Europe’s clean energy transition, removing financial and regulatory barriers to rolling out needed infrastructure, and ensuring Member States have...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Transport Costs (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As the Deputy will be aware, transport is a derived demand - one that is driven by economic and social need.  A cost-efficient sector, including affordable and accessible public transport services, is vital to a functioning economy. In this context, a number of measures have been taken to ensure services remain affordable.  In Budget 2022, my department secured...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA also has national responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including the rollout of the Connecting Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Public Transport (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and is responsible for the licensing of public bus...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Greenways Provision (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to Greenways. The planning, design and construction of individual Greenways is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. In this context, TII is best placed to advise you on the status of this project. Noting the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (29 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: As Minister for Transport,  I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.  The National Transport Authority (NTA) has, on a non-statutory basis, responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure in the Galway City Area, including railway infrastructure in consultation with Iarnród Éireann. ...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: On the 15th February this year I signed the Regulations (SI 76 of 2022) that create an obligation on suppliers to offer the Clean Export Guarantee (CEG) tariff to new and existing micro-and small-scale generators so that they will receive payment for excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, reflective of the market value. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) published...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Renewable Energy Generation (28 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: All applications for petroleum authorisations submitted to my Department are considered under a robust assessment process. Applications are assessed against a number of criteria from a technical and financial perspective in accordance with Section 9A (1) of the Petroleum and Other Minerals Development Act, 1960 and Section 3 of the 2007 Licensing Terms for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration,...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Bodies (28 Jun 2022)

Eamon Ryan: The information sought by the Deputy is available at www.stateboards.ieFurther information is also available on the Department’s website at  gov.ie - State Board Membership (www.gov.ie).