Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 53: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of money set aside or spent on the purchase of carbon offsets for flights by Ministers or other persons on Government business; the amount per flight it is intended to be used to purchase carbon offsets; the persons from whom carbon offsets are to be purchased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3921/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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In response to the Programme for Government and the National Climate Change Strategy commitments, I have developed the principles of a scheme to offset greenhouse gas emissions from official air travel by Ministers and civil servants. There are some logistical and administrative arrangements to be finalised, but I am confident that the scheme will be fully operational by the end of the first quarter of 2009.

The scheme will operate on an annual basis, starting in 2009 and will retrospectively account for all official air travel since the Government came into office in June 2007. All Departments have been notified of the key elements of the scheme and they will be required each year to calculate their carbon dioxide emissions and associated offsetting costs based on total air kilometres travelled. My Department will provide a carbon price each year to reflect the average price in the voluntary offsetting market as the basis for Departments to calculate their offsetting costs.

The value of the total offsetting requirements for Departments will be invested on behalf of Ireland by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in small scale "gold standard" energy efficiency and renewable energy offsetting projects in Ireland's priority Oversees Development Aid countries in Africa.

The scheme will apply to all Government Departments and Offices, and will cover all flights by Ministers and officials on both commercial airlines and Government passenger aircraft. It will also apply to bodies under the aegis of Departments and it will be a matter for individual Departments to decide which bodies are to be included.

The scheme will be optimal in terms of administrative efficiency and accountability and will have the added advantage of increasing awareness of global warming implications of air travel among official travellers and their Departments and Offices.