Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the proposals for carbon credits in relation to flights by Ministers and officials; the way the amount to be spent on carbon credits for each flight will be calculated; the flights for which they will be purchased; the amount spent so far; from whom will they be purchased and the environmental purposes for which the money will be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15963/10]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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In response to commitments in the Programme for Government and the National Climate Change Strategy, my Department developed a scheme to offset greenhouse gas emissions from official air travel. The scheme applies to all Government Departments and Offices, and covers all flights by Ministers and officials on both commercial airlines and Government passenger aircraft. It also applies to bodies under the aegis of Departments and it is a matter for individual Departments to decide which bodies are to be included.

The scheme operates on an annual basis and commenced in 2009. It retrospectively accounted for all official air travel since the Government came into office in June 2007. Departments and offices are required each year to calculate their carbon dioxide emissions and associated offsetting costs based on total air kilometres travelled. Annual offsetting costs are calculated using a standard formula based on kilograms of CO2 emitted per passenger kilometres travelled. My Department provides a carbon price each year to reflect the average cost of offsetting a tonne of carbon in the voluntary offsetting market. This acts as the basis for Departments to calculate their offsetting costs.

The value of the total offsetting costs in each year is invested through Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) in Gold Standard Voluntary Emissions Reductions (GS VERs) from small scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Ireland's priority Overseas Development Aid countries in Africa.

Government Departments, Offices and other bodies contributed some €400,000 during 2009 to offset greenhouse gas emissions from official air travel by Ministers, civil servants and other officials for the period June 2007 to December 2008. These funds have been invested in a project in Malawi which involves reducing the use of non-renewable biomass for energy through the supply of improved household cooking stoves.