Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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367. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the specific actions he has undertaken under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 to contribute to the national mitigation plan. [25692/17]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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I am cognisant of the statutory requirements placed on the Government and all Government Ministers under the Climate Action and Low-Carbon Development Act 2015.

As part of Budget 2017, the then new Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment was awarded an increased allocation of funding to contribute towards measures to help Ireland in relation to climate and energy obligations.

In terms of the preparation of Ireland’s first statutory National Mitigation Plan, under the aegis of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment as provided for under the 2015 Act, my Department has been involved in the development of the Plan through its membership of the relevant Steering Group.  My Department has also met bilaterally with the Climate Change Advisory Council.

Separately my Department is currently undertaking a number of actions in order to help mainstream the climate change agenda into policy formulation and decision making processes across Government.  For example, as part of the Mid-Term Review of the Capital Plan, Departments have been explicitly asked to outline the implications, both positive and negative, of their spending proposals in terms of Ireland’s climate and energy obligations.

My Department is also currently reviewing the Public Spending Code. As it is the economic and evaluation resources within the relevant Departments that are best placed to determine if the existing appraisal framework provides the best available advice on measuring and reporting on the costs and benefits associated with climate change measures, my Department will work with the relevant Departments in circumstances where the latter consider that changes in terms of specific sectoral and/or technical guidance in the Public Spending Code is necessary.

In this context it is to be noted that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is, through the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGESS), supporting capacity building of economic and evaluation skill sets in Government Departments.

A sustained whole of Government approach will be required to enable Ireland’s transition to a low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by 2050. In this context, the development of the first statutory National Mitigation Plan represents an important step towards mainstreaming the climate change agenda into the policy formulation and decision making processes across all of Government.

I am, together with my Department, committed to assisting this transition.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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368. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the specific actions the Office of Public Works has undertaken under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 to contribute to the national mitigation plan. [25694/17]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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Under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment must submit a National Mitigation Plan to Government for approval in June 2017. A draft of the national mitigation plan was issued for public comment (to be returned by 26 April 2017). The draft plan acknowledges the savings made to date through the OPW's successful Optimising Power @ Work energy conservation initiative and proposes to build on the existing campaign. The draft plan also refers to the recent publication of the "Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy" and the OPW is working closely with other relevant Departments and agencies to identify energy efficiency projects within our building portfolio. As part of the strategy, the OPW has been provided with funding for energy upgrade projects in the central Government portfolio and we are currently working closely with SEAI to deliver this pilot programme in 2017.