Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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663. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the specific actions he has undertaken under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 to contribute to the national mitigation plan. [25697/17]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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The objective of Ireland’s first National Mitigation Plan is to set out what Ireland is doing and is planning to do to further the national transition objective set out in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015.

Following a statutory public consultation in March and April, work on the development of the first Plan is nearing completion and my colleague the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment intends to submit it to Government for approval in early June. The draft Plan has been prepared having regard to the provisions set out in the 2015 Act and through close collaboration across all relevant Government Departments and, in particular, with the key Ministers responsible for the four sectors covered by the Plan: Electricity Generation; the Built Environment; Transport; and Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use. This work has been overseen by an inter-Departmental National Mitigation Plan Steering Group, as well as by both the Senior Officials Group, and the Cabinet Committee, on Infrastructure, Climate Action and the Environment. Technical support has been provided to all the sectors by the Technical Research and Modelling Group which operates under the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment.

In addition, the Climate Change Advisory Council was invited, following publication of the draft National Mitigation Plan, to engage directly with the Department of Communication, Climate Action and the Environment and with other relevant Government Ministers with a view to providing recommendations to feed into the preparation of the final Plan. All input received from the Advisory Council has been considered in finalising the National Mitigation Plan.

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 the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment’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 sectoral mitigation options.

The Defence Organisation takes a very proactive approach to energy efficiency by monitoring energy consumption on an on-going basis and carrying out a number of energy saving projects each year.

In compliance with ISO 50001 certification the Defence Forces have a particular emphasis on design and acquisition in relation to the built environment. The Defence Forces, as a large energy user, are the subject of annual internal energy management reviews and external audits as part of their ISO 5001 compliance. In addition the Defence Forces have undertaken a number of initiatives to maximise the energy performance of its transport fleet, including:

- Driver initiatives promoting slower speeds and less idling of engines.

- Purchasing a fleet of cars which replaced 4x4 vehicles. These new vehicles have higher fuel efficiency and less CO2 emissions.

In aviation, start-up procedures for helicopters are being reviewed in consultation with Aircraft manufacturers in order to reduce fuel consumption and the concept of leaner burning flights is being promoted in consultation with pilots.

I am committed to ensuring that building on the work of the Defence Organisation to date, the Defence sector plays its part in the National Mitigation Plan once adopted.