Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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46. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will strengthen the national mitigation plan by including concrete actions and targets in line with Ireland's international emissions obligations and also end Ireland's reliance on purchasing emissions units further to criticisms (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41705/17]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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50. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the extent to which he remains satisfied that greenhouse gas reductions over the next ten years can be met; if further provisions can be made to meet such targets without damaging industry or agriculture; the extent to which marginal lands can be used in this context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41880/17]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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63. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated annual funding required to enable the full implementation of the national mitigation plan published in July 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41701/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 46, 50 and 63 together.

The publication of Ireland’s first statutory National Mitigation Plan in July 2017 is an important initial step to enable the transition to a low carbon economy and society. The Plan identifies over 70 mitigation measures and 106 related actions to address the immediate challenge to 2020 and to prepare for the EU targets that Ireland will take on for 2030. Although the Plan does not provide a complete roadmap to achieve the national transition objective to 2050, it begins 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.

There is no doubt that delivery of the measures in the National Mitigation Plan will, in many cases, require significant investment. However, decisions on the funding of particular measures will be a matter for Government consideration in the context of expenditure planning in the Estimates and Budgetary processes, including decisions on capital expenditure following the mid-term review of the current Capital Plan and in the forthcoming National Investment Plan for 2018-2027.

Where relevant, the National Mitigation Plan already includes information on the expected Exchequer cost of implementing individual measures, either in the context of direct expenditure or in relation to tax foregone. The actual expenditure on a given measure will depend on progress in implementation of each measure, including its possible expansion as a result of additional funding, for which the relevant sectoral Minister retains direct responsibility. I, and other sectoral Ministers with a role in the National Mitigation Plan, continue to engage with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in the context of the Budget and Estimates process with a view to ensuring that the investment requirements arising from the National Mitigation Plan are appropriately reflected in Budget 2018.

In addition to measures in place, the National Mitigation Plan includes measures under consideration by Government. The potential costs for many of these measures have yet to be quantified and will depend on the basis on which a given measure is adopted for implementation.

As already stated, given the complexity of the issues and time horizon involved, it is not be possible for the National Mitigation Plan to provide a complete roadmap to achieve our 2050 objective. Similarly, it does not yet provide a complete roadmap to meeting Ireland's expected targets between 2021 and 2030 under the draft EU Effort Sharing Regulation. Instead, the Plan will be subject to formal review at least once every five years and will also become a living document, accessible on my Department's website, which will be updated on an on-going basis as analysis, dialogue and technological innovation generate further cost-effective sectoral mitigation options.  This continuous review process reflects the broad and evolving nature of the sectoral challenges outlined in the Plan, coupled with the continued development and deployment of emerging low carbon and cost effective technologies across different sectors of the economy. As this first Plan moves into the implementation phase, this process will enable it to be amended, refined and strengthened over time and assist in keeping Ireland on target to meet our obligations.