Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 286: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress his Department has made in achieving this 33% target of energy efficiency in the public sector; if energy use in buildings under the responsibility of his Department is being monitored; if so, the person by whom it is monitored; the recent trends; if buildings under the responsibility of his Department are being retrofitted to improve energy efficiency; if there are capital budgets for energy efficiency measures in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13129/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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In 2007, the Office of Public Works (OPW) piloted an Energy Conservation Campaign covering seven of my Department's offices. The aim of the campaign was to raise staff awareness on the issue and to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in these offices. Staff in the Department were hugely supportive of this pilot campaign and it proved to be very successful.

Energy usage is monitored by the Facilities Management Unit in my Department and, by way of example, a 15% reduction in the Department's electricity usage over the period 2005 to 2007 was recorded at the Department's head office in Áras Mhic Dhiarmada, Store Street, Dublin 1.

The Office of Public Works recently launched a further energy efficiency campaign — "Optimising Power at Work" in 250 State buildings located throughout the country with the aim of achieving a 15% reduction in carbon emissions. This campaign is being run in 27 of my Department's offices during 2008 and again management and staff have been asked to co-operate fully with this initiative.

As in the case of other Government Departments, my Department is reliant on the Office of Public Works for the design, acquisition, refurbishment and maintenance of its offices, including the installation of energy efficiency technologies, and has little discretion in this regard.