Results 1,821-1,840 of 26,561 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Weather Events (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department has not commissioned any climate engineering or geoengineering research activities that are being conducted within Irish airspace and nor have any such activities been brought to my attention.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Statutory Instruments (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The information sought by the Deputy has been collated by my officials and is set out in the attached table.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Regulations (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The separate collection of textiles is essential to maximise opportunities for reuse and supporting our transition to a circular economy. Currently, our separate collection system for textiles consists of a national network of local authority and charity bring banks, charity retail shops as well as some private bring banks. There are also a number of retailers who have take-back schemes in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: EU Directives (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Article 12 of the Energy Efficiency Directive 2023/1791 (‘EED’) provides an obligation for Member States to require that owners and operators of data centres with an installed information technology power demand of at least 500kW to monitor and make publicly available information on the energy performance of their data centres. My Department is progressing the transposition of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Warmer Homes Scheme aims to improve the energy efficiency and warmth of homes owned by people in energy poverty by providing fully-funded retrofits. The scheme is operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) on behalf of my Department and is funded through the carbon tax receipts and the European Regional Development Fund. Last year saw a record spend of almost...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to significant increases in wholesale natural gas prices, resulting in consumers paying higher prices for gas and electricity. Consistently high wholesale gas prices over a period of time also led to windfall gains for some entities in the fossil fuel production and refining sectors, and in the electricity sector. Council Regulation (EU) 2022/1854 was...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Data (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The information requested has been provided to my Department by the SEAI and is set out in the attached tables.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government reaffirms Ireland’s national targets of 9 GW of onshore wind, 8 GW of solar and at least 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030. The Programme for Government also commits to utilising the new Planning Act to fast-track developments. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was signed into law on 17 October 2024. The Act will be commenced on a staged basis and an...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Schemes (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together. The Community Energy Grant Scheme supports cross-sectoral, partnership approaches that deliver energy savings to a range of building types, including public, commercial and community buildings with a particular focus on using the projects to deliver home retrofits, encompassing energy-poor, private, rental, and approved housing body...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Supply Board (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is an instrument implemented by the European Union to address the risk of carbon leakage. The EU’s ambition is to become climate neutral by 2050, and CBAM will aim to ensure that imported goods are subject to a carbon price equivalent to the carbon price of domestic production in the EU. CBAM affects the electricity sector by putting a...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Fishing Industry (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: My Department published a Governance Review of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) in December 2023. This independent review, which was carried out by EY, had been commissioned, at my predecessor, Minister Eamon Ryan’s instruction, by the Section 18 appointees (Mr Tom Barry and Mr Séamus Neely) who were carrying out the functions of IFI prior to the new IFI Board taking office in...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Departmental Funding (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: In November 2020, then Minister Eamon Ryan, established the Angling Consultative Council of Ireland (ACCI), a stakeholder advisory group chaired by my Department comprising angling bodies with a national remit as well as members of the Executive of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI). In 2024, it was renamed the Angling Advisory Group (AAG) and provides a platform for policy inputs and addressing...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Infrastructure (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: This is a private project, the matter is before the Courts and it would not be appropriate for me to comment at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Electricity Transmission Network (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Issues regarding the maintenance of the national electricity grid rest with EirGrid and ESB Networks who are independent of myself as Minister in the exercise of their respective functions. EirGrid, as Transmission System Operator, have responsibility for the development of the Transmission Network and ESB Networks, as Distribution System Operator, have responsibility for the development of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Telecommunications Infrastructure (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: Following the damage caused to the Telecoms networks by Storm Éowyn, my colleague Minister O'Donovan met with senior executives of both mobile and fixed telecoms providers to reflect on the lessons to be learned, and measures to be considered to build further resilience into telecommunications networks to avoid, where feasible and practicable, a reoccurrence of the same level of...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Energy Poverty Action Plan 2022 set out the range of measures implemented, as well as key longer-term measures, to ensure that those least able to afford increased energy costs were supported and protected to adequately heat and power their homes over winter 2022/23. The implementation of the Action Plan has been monitored by a cross-departmental Steering Group, chaired by my Department....

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department engaged CEPA (Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Ltd) in December 2024 to update their previous modelling which informed the Energy Security Package in 2023. The aim of this additional modelling is to update the analysis of physical security of supply in Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems in 2035 and 2040, using the latest available data, to assess if the...

Written Answers — Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment: Energy Policy (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Department engaged CEPA (Cambridge Economic Policy Associates Ltd) in December 2024 to update their previous modelling which informed the Energy Security Package in 2023. The aim of this additional modelling was to update the analysis of physical security of supply in Ireland’s electricity and natural gas systems in 2035 and 2040, using the latest available data, to assess if the...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: EV infrastructure standards are mandated through European regulations, the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), and Irish legislation and regulations. At an EU level, AFIR lays down common technical specifications and requirements for EV recharging infrastructure, including payment requirements to ensure a seamless and easy charging experience for users. As stated in both...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Electric Vehicles (6 Mar 2025)

Darragh O'Brien: The Government is fully committed to supporting a significant expansion and modernisation of the EV charging network over the coming years. A range of new charging infrastructure schemes are being developed which will help provide another critical link in the overall network for public charging, including: • The first ZEVI TII EV Recharging Infrastructure LDV National Road Grant...