Written answers

Tuesday, 9 May 2017

Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

National Mitigation Plan

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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72. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will include the suggestions and recommendations of environmental groups on the draft national mitigation plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21495/17]

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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81. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the national mitigation plan; the timeframe for the publication of the plan; the resources being made available for the implementation of the plan; the reason the draft plan was not published in Irish; if the final plan will be published in Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21558/17]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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584. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way in which his Department is tackling climate change. [15143/17]

Photo of Denis NaughtenDenis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 81 and 584 together.

The objective of Ireland’s first National Mitigation Plan is to set out what Ireland is doing and is planning to do to further our transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050.

Work on the development of the first Plan is nearing completion and I intend to submit it to Government for approval in early June. The Plan is being prepared on a whole-of-Government basis reflecting in particular the central roles of key Ministers responsible for the Electricity Generation, Built Environment, Transport and Agriculture, Forest and Land Use sectors. 

A public consultation on the Plan closed on 26 April 2017.  Submissions received through this consultation are currently being examined by my Department as well as by the Departments with responsibility for the key sectors listed above and each submission will be given due consideration in the finalisation in the Plan.

I also recognise the need to engage wider society more generally with the climate challenge, motivate changes in behaviour, and create structures at local, regional and national levels to support the generation of ideas and their translation into appropriate cost-effective actions. To progress this, I recently announced a National Dialogue on Climate Action to provide for an inclusive process of engagement and consensus building across society towards enabling the transformation to a low carbon and climate-resilient future.  

It must also be recognised that the first Plan is a work in progress reflecting the reality of where we are in our decarbonisation transition having regard to a number of factors including curtailed public and private investment over the course of recent years. The first Plan cannot, therefore, provide a complete roadmap to achieve the national transition objective to 2050 but it will begin the process of development of medium to long term options to ensure that we are well positioned to take the necessary actions in the next and future decades.

This will be an ongoing process aimed at incremental and permanent decarbonisation. The Plan will become a living document: it will be made accessible on my Department's website; will be subject to annual progress reports; and will be updated on an on-going basis as analysis, dialogue and technological innovation generate further cost-effective sectorial mitigation options. Recognising that funding climate action to the required level presents an enormous challenge for Ireland, a key part of this process will be to evaluate exchequer and non-exchequer options for financing Ireland's transition.  

In relation to the translation of the draft Plan, my Department is fully aware of its responsibilities under the Official Languages Act and every effort has been made to ensure that an Irish version of the draft Plan can be made available as soon as possible. My Department is currently undertaking final proofing of the Irish language text of the draft Plan and I will publish this version on my Department's website as soon as possible. I also intend that an Irish language version of the final Plan be made available following its approval by Government.

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