Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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1288. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the amount of funding his Department is providing to the green climate fund in 2018; if this is his Department's only contribution to overseas climate adaptation and mitigation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1147/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I refer to the replies to Questions Nos. 397 of 29 November 2017 and 595 of 14 December 2017. As set out in reply to these questions, Ireland made a commitment at the Paris Climate Change Conference in November 2015 to provide at least €175 million in public funding in support of climate action in developing countries between 2016 and 2020. This support will be provided primarily for bilateral assistance in respect of climate change adaptation goals in developing countries and will come from the Vote of Irish Aid managed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  In addition, Ireland committed to commencing contributions to the Green Climate Fund in 2016 with a view to building up our support over the coming years.

An initial contribution to the Green Climate Fund of €2 million was made from my Department's Vote in 2016, as part of an overall amount of €52.66 million provided by Ireland in public financial support to address climate change in developing countries in 2016.

At the twenty-third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, (UNFCCC COP 23) in November 2017, I announced that a further contribution of €2 million would be made by the Government to the Green Climate Fund in 2017. This is part of a package of additional funding by my Department totalling €2.5 million in 2017, which also included support for the UNFCCC’s Adaptation Fund, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the NDC Partnership.

While no decisions have yet been taken in respect of contributions for 2018, any such decisions will take account Ireland’s commitments, referred to above, regarding building up its support to the Green Climate Fund in the coming years.