Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

411. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32611/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The 2014 National Policy Position on Climate Action and Low Carbon Development, which is underpinned by the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, provides a high-level policy direction for the adoption and implementation by Government of plans to enable the State to move to a low-carbon economy by 2050. Latest Green House Gas emission projections by the Environmental Protection Agency indicate that emissions by 2020 could be in the range of 6-11% below 2005 levels, thereby falling short of the EU target that emissions should be 20% below their value in 2005. The focus of the first National Mitigation Plan will include putting in place the necessary measures to address the challenge to 2020. I intend to make a draft National Mitigation Plan available for public consultation by the end of the year.

The Energy White Paper sets out a vision and a framework to guide Irish energy policy up to 2030 including a range of actions to support the indigenous energy sector. The potential of the bioenergy sector to make a significant contribution to a wide range of Government policy objectives, including energy and waste policy, is well recognised. My Department is in the process of finalising a bioenergy plan to capture this potential through the development and introduction of measures to encourage the growth of Ireland’s biomass and bioenergy sectors. The draft bioenergy plan is currently undergoing a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) which will include a public consultation to take place before the end of the year. This will be advertised on my Department's website at www.dccae.gov.ie.

In 2015, 9.1% of Ireland's overall energy requirements were met from renewable sources and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland has estimated that this avoided €286 million of fossil fuel imports.

The clear focus of my Department is on implementing the range of actions set out in the Energy White Paper and Programme for Government that are aimed at meeting our energy and climate change targets. Nevertheless, meeting our 2020 targets remains very challenging.

While I have no function in regard to the carbon tax or taxation policy generally which is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Finance, I understand that the reliefs referred to were introduced with the aim of correcting an anomaly in the carbon tax regime whereby the non-fossil solid fuel (i.e. biomass) element of a biomass blended solid fuel is currently subject to carbon tax.