Gay Mitchell (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the cost of energy used running his Department in the year 2002; the cost of doing so in 2006; the quantity of energy used in each of these years to which this cost relates; and his plans to reduce this usage as a contribution to meeting concerns regarding climate change. [9822/07]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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It has not been possible, in the time available, to get all of the data requested by the Deputy in respect of this Parliamentary Question. The missing data will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it becomes available. Excluding the Offices of my Department which have their own budgets, the data currently available concerning the energy used for running my Department in 2002 and 2006 is as follows:

To reduce energy consumption in the Department and to ensure maximum energy efficiency with a view to meeting the concerns regarding climate change, my Department through its Green Team, which was established some years ago, has over the past few years initiated the following actions: ensured that all lighting in the Department's eight buildings is switched off overnight; ensured that the Office of Public Works, which looks after the replacement of electric light bulbs in my Department's buildings, uses energy efficient bulbs and long life bulbs wherever possible when electric light bulbs are being replaced; ensured that the central heating arrangements for the Department's buildings are switched on and off to achieve optimum energy efficiency; ensured that the staff in the Department have been exhorted to:

1. switch off all their computer equipment (base units, monitors and peripheral devices) at the end of each working day;

2. switch off their PC monitors at lunch time and while attending meetings etc;

3. ensure that the last person leaving each individual office switches off all electric lights, printers, photocopiers and heaters;

My Department will continue to monitor its energy consumption and will where practicable continue to implement steps to reduce energy usage as a contribution to meeting concerns regarding climate change.