Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies have been given lead or key stakeholder responsibility for a number of actions in the plan, ranging from engagement with the food and cement industry sectors to support increased abatement, to undertaking a review of the current offerings by the Enterprise Agencies, with a view to promoting environmental supports to a larger cohort of client companies.

The annex to the Climate Action Plan 2019 sets out all the actions for delivery under the plan, along with details of the Departments/offices/agencies responsible for their delivery.

Under the plan, the enterprise sector is being tasked with reducing Green House Gas emissions by 10%-15% by 2030.

The Plan identifies that the largest reductions in Green House Gas emissions can be realised in the Cement and Food & Beverage industry.

The enterprise sector will also contribute to the targets for the ‘Built Environment’ sector (20-25% reduction by 2030) and the ‘Transport’ sector (45-50% reduction by 2030) by actions such as improvements to building energy performance and the replacement of commercial fleets with electric vehicles.

My officials have begun to plan the implementation and delivery of the actions for which my Department has lead responsibility under the plan. As many of the measures are new initiatives which will require initial consultations and exploratory actions, the net cost of the delivery of these actions has not yet been established. While some of the actions will involve upfront costs for enterprises, it is important to view these costs in the context of: the supports available to companies in their transition to low carbon practices; the opportunities presented by this transition; the need for society as a whole to take urgent action; and the increasing demand from consumers and society for companies to move to low carbon practices.