Written answers

Tuesday, 12 May 2009

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Departmental Expenditure

8:00 pm

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there are plans to merge [i]change.ie[/i] and [i]powerofone.ie[/i]; the cost of running both these websites; his views on whether they cover the same broad area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18710/09]

Photo of Eamon RyanEamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Power of One campaign aims to bring about more energy efficient behaviour by domestic consumers and other energy using sectors to achieve energy and CO2 savings. The campaign has been operating since August 2006 and has brought about a significant increase in awareness of energy efficiency and best practice energy behaviour. Since the beginning of 2009, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) has assumed responsibility for the campaign. My Department has agreed with SEI that their stewardship will see the next phase of the campaign move away from mass media messaging towards more localised behavioural change projects, though the website will continue to be an important information hub.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is responsible for the Change campaign. The objective of the campaign is to raise public awareness of climate change, its causes, impacts and implications for Ireland, as well as to drive significant behavioural change to reduce and avoid greenhouse gas emissions in how we live, work and travel. The remit of the campaign covers the broad spectrum of transport, waste, water, energy, biodiversity and planning across the sectors of agriculture, transport, construction, tourism, business, industry and the public sector. The campaign includes a significant advertising element as well as extensive stakeholder engagement to develop specific programmes and web-based tools tailored to achieve emission reductions at sectoral level.

Since the inception of the Change campaign, there has been a high degree of coordination and cooperation between the two campaigns in relation to energy efficiency and carbon reduction. This has involved sharing of materials, co-funding of projects and many linkages between the websites of the two campaigns. This approach has led to significant savings for the Exchequer.

I believe this cooperative approach should continue. My Department and SEI are both represented on the inter-Departmental steering committee for the Change campaign. In respect of Power of One, I have asked SEI to actively pursue the scope for continuing and enhancing cooperation between the campaigns as part of their management of Power of One.

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