Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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540. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the advisory board for the climate action fund has been established; and if so, the members of same. [41957/18]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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541. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number of applications received to the climate action fund by the deadline of 1 October 2018. [41958/18]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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542. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if State-owned companies such as Bord na Móna and Coillte which hold large landbanks of degraded peatland from which emissions could be cost effectively abated are eligible to apply to the climate action fund; and if so, if they were notified of the fund. [41959/18]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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543. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the organisations which were notified of the climate action fund by letter or email. [41960/18]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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544. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if public health benefits are one of the criteria to be used in assessing applications under the climate action fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41961/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos 540 to 544, inclusive, together.

The Climate Action Fund is one of four funds established under the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as part of Project Ireland 2040.

The first call for applications, which was launched on 9 July, was open to applications from the public and private sector. This included non-commercial state bodies, commercial state bodies (including Coillte and Bord na Mona) and Local Authorities.

The launch of the call for applications was by way of a general press release with a reference to documentation on my Department's website.  All terms and conditions, including eligibility criteria, were included in that documentation. In addition, to the press release, the call for applications for the Climate Action Fund was displayed on the front page of my Department's website. The publication of the call for applications was also communicated  via email, including notifying the Departmental Energy Performance Officer in each Government department suggesting they relay it to the Energy Performance Officer in organisations in their group under the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy.  The deadline for applications under the First Call for Applications was 1 October 2018 and I can confirm that 97 applications were received by this date.

The Advisory Board that will oversee the assessment process is in the process of being established. A common template is being followed for the four funds and the Advisory Board will be chaired by my Department and will include representatives from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, and independent experts.

Further information on the Climate Action Fund, including detail of the assessment process, is available on my Department’s website. The assessment includes consideration of the contribution to Ireland's climate and energy targets, and wider Government policy priorities (which would encompass health benefits).

Support provided under the first call for applications is subject to European Union state aid rules - specifically the terms and conditions of the General Block Exemption Regulation. There are likely to be projects (such as using peatlands to abate greenhouse gas emissions) that do not conform to the types of support provided for under the relevant state aid rules.

My Department is therefore engaging with Bord na Mona to identify potential peatland projects that could be supported by the Climate Action Fund outside of the current call for applications process.