Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 583: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures being taken by his Department and its agencies to reduce their carbon footprint in 2007/2008. [9442/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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In accordance with its Environmental Policy Statement, my Department is fully committed to the conservation and effective management of our consumption of resources, including energy, waste, paper, equipment and other consumables. This is a critical element of our ongoing accreditation to ISO 14001, in respect of our Headquarters in the Custom House.

Through the OPW, my Department has a contract in place with Energia since October 2006 for the supply of electricity from renewable sources to the Department's main offices. My Department has undertaken a number of energy consumption measures including installation of a Building Energy Management System in the Custom House enabling more efficient heating management, use of energy efficient lights, a powersave function on electrical office equipment and photocopiers with duplex facilities. Under these measures total energy consumption in the Custom House has decreased by 6% between 2005 and 2007. In collaboration with the OPW, my Department has set high environmental specifications for its proposed decentralised offices in the South East. My Department is among the first Departments to participate in the recently launched OPW Optimising Power @ Work, Staff Energy Awareness Campaign. This campaign, which will begin in the Department in early March, aims at achieving a minimum 15% reduction in total annual carbon dioxide emissions. My Department has also participated in the Power of One and One Small Step campaigns.

In line with the Programme for Government commitment on carbon offsetting official air travel, I am developing, and hope shortly to announce details of, a scheme for use by all Government Departments and bodies under their aegis. I have, in the meantime, made separate arrangements to offset the air travel related to my attendance at the Ministerial segment of the ongoing meetings of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.

Other measures taken in my Department to reduce emissions include promotion of public transport through implementation of a tax efficient Travel Pass Scheme, and the entire vehicle fleet of the National Parks and Wildlife Service is capable of running on biodiesel. Arrangements are being put in place for the supply of biodiesel to the National Parks. Furthermore, a proposal to utilise electric vehicles and bicycles in the National Parks is under consideration. On the wider issue of nature conservation the rehabilitation of boglands, preservation of woodlands, and planned tree planting at NPWS sites is instrumental in reducing the national carbon footprint.

Day to day operation of the Agencies under the aegis of my Department is a matter for the Agencies themselves.