Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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1316. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will introduce measures to promote the use of moss in city architecture and landscaping in order to tackle climate change in view of the fact that moss absorbs carbon; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4262/20]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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Firstly I should clarify that the role of my Department is to support the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of our national built heritage and ensure an appropriate policy and legislative framework is in place to help secure its future. It has no specific role in relation to the promotion of any material or process for furthering these aims.

The Deputy may be aware, however, of the drafting of a new National Policy on Architecture that is being led by my Department with the support of a steering committee including officials from the Office of Public Works, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Education and Skills, The Health Service Executive, the City and County Architects Association, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, the schools of architecture and the Irish Architecture Foundation

The proposed new Policy will support long–term planning strategies and will assist in addressing key issues including societal well-being, climate change and urban regeneration. It will provide tools to help us creatively address challenges such as the current public health crisis as well as the need to deliver new homes and neighbourhoods for our growing population, together with the schools, hospitals, workplaces and infrastructure to support the society we aspire to achieve. The adaptation of existing as well as the design of new buildings will be critical to meet the targets set by the Climate Action Plan 2019, including my Department’s Climate Change Sectoral Adaptation Plan for the Built and Archaeological Heritage.

As one of the proposed themes is climate resilience and sustainability the question of ‘greening’ urban areas may be relevant and, while my officials are not aware that moss absorbs more CO2 than other greenery, I would welcome a submission with supporting information on its use as a climate measure. Submissions can be sent to the dedicated email address .