Results 1,641-1,660 of 31,374 for speaker:Eamon Ryan

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Network (26 Jun 2024)

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 responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts....

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Traffic Management (26 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As the Deputy may know, tractors may be driven on the motorway so long as they are capable of maintaining a minimum speed of 50km/h. My Department has no plans to amend the current legislation. Although my Department legislates for tractor use on motorways, the enforcement of road traffic legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána.

Affordable Electricity: Motion [Private Members] (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "acknowledges the Government's comprehensive response to the significant increases in energy prices for households and businesses due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the significant progress being made in ensuring a just transition to renewable energy; recognises that:...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present the 2024 Further Revised Estimates for programmes A, B and C of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. The further Revised Estimate was required due to the recent transfer of marine planning-related functions from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, to my Department. These functions include...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: There is no allocation to the carbon fund this year. In previous years, the National Treasury Management Agency, NTMA, purchased energy credits to meet Ireland's international emissions reduction requirements. There is no such requirement this year. That is why it features as a zero item under the subhead. The allocation was €2.9 million in the previous year. Compliance costs...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: First, on the just transition commission, I was very pleased that the task force, chaired very ably, has delivered a recommendation for Government which we will now implement, initially on a standing basis but with further legislation to come to give it legislative strength. The fact that each of the social partners - business, unions, NGOs, environmental NGOs, farming groups and social...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I wish Deputy Bruton the very best of luck as well on those new shores that lie ahead of us all. I very much appreciate his kind comments. I agree with him. How do you narrow down some measures, such as improving air quality, to one single measure? My understanding of that output measure, the PM10s going from 19% to 32%, is that it is good news because that is the percentage of stations...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is the Minister for agriculture who has primary responsibility for the delivery of afforestation levels. I will, however, make a broad point. The Deputy is correct. The scale of new afforestation we will need - I am speaking from memory here - is approximately 8,000 ha per annum if we are to meet the 2030 target. I will be honest; the long-term strategy agreed in Cabinet today...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: On air quality, although I do not have the figures in front of me, there has been a dramatic improvement in the number of live real-time stations. There has been very significant investment in that area. To highlight a further development I am looking at, I recently received an interesting presentation from an Irish company which is looking at low-cost sensor equipment that could be put...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: We have one of the most successful retrofitting programmes in Europe. I was in Brussels some weeks ago and the association looking at energy efficiency in homes said that we have the highest per capita retrofitting of any European country. I do not know that but I take the person at their word. It was very encouraging because it is working. There will be 52,000 SEAI-supported home energy...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I think it is because they are bigger, in that they tend to be bigger homes or it tends to be a more detailed extensive job. The warmer homes scheme sometimes does not include all the different measures. It is a sign of more work done, not higher prices applying. It is the same industry, in many instances the same contractors, and the same skills, so I do not see why one project would be...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: It is not included in these costings. I have had a series of ongoing meetings with officials in the Department. Gas Networks Ireland has been supporting the analysis that has been done. There are a number of measures, legislative as well as financial, that would be required to deliver it, so I am assessing further that analysis from GNI and the Department and will come back to the...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Deputy Bruton's question relates to some of the material I have been reading today. His question is well timed as these issues are on my mind. At the Cabinet meeting today, we discussed a memorandum on the International Energy Agency, IEA, country review, which I presume will be published later today. The review broadly points out the areas where we are seeing progress and in which Ireland...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: As I said earlier, it is roughly a two-year wait. That is unsatisfactory but it is a function of a massive increase in demand. One can understand if someone owns their own home and can apply for a 100% grant, which is not insignificant, with the average being a €25,000 improvement in their home, that is a very attractive prospect for many people. The only way we can bring that...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: The Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, has key responsibility in this area so he would be much better able to go into the fine detail. That first circular economy strategy 2021 has to be replaced with an update or a further iteration. That is set out under the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022. It has to include sectoral targets. My understanding is that it will...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I agree. One of the strengths is that it was started initially during the Deputy's time as Minister on a basis of engaging and informing stakeholders, giving them a clear line of sight in terms of what is coming next, which is important. The EPA is doing a lot of good work in promoting this as well, I understand, particularly in the construction sector. I always remember my time formerly as...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: First, the reduction in numbers does not set out any policy. It is just indicative of a lower level of exploration for a variety of reasons. These things go through cycles and countries go through phases of fashion where prospecting may be attractive or not. I would not draw any policy conclusions from that. I agree with what I understand to be the Deputy's broad premise, as we must be...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Yes. The ability to draw down the funds in a speedy manner has been somewhat frustrating. An example is district heating in Dublin city, a project with which the Deputy will be very familiar. This was originally funded under the climate action fund in 2017 to 2018, from memory, and it has not been able to get the business case to full tendering. I expect that to happen in the coming days,...

Select Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 29 - Environment, Climate and Communications (Further Revised Estimate) (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: I take the Deputy's point. There are sufficient projects which are ready, need to be funded and do not have other funding mechanisms. I do not want to give false promises in setting up a call when in actual fact a good chunk of the funding the Deputy mentioned will be deployed for necessary projects which we know we need to fund straightaway.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Recycling Policy (25 Jun 2024)

Eamon Ryan: Under the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) Regulations, retailers may avail of an exemption to provide a take-back service, provided certain conditions are met. Retailers with a store size of less than 250m2, as well as those operating vending machines or online sales, food-to-go and hospitality establishments may apply to Re-Turn, the DRS operator, for an exemption. Retailers must indicate, when...