Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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138. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 90 of 25 November 2020, if further details on the introduction of solar panel energy to a number of embassies abroad with further projects planned and the introduction of product specifications for the purchase of hybrid motor vehicles will be provided; the nature of these contract works; the year of these contract works; the value of these contracts; and the social clause and consideration used therein in tabular form. [10784/21]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Foreign Affairs is committed to mainstreaming sustainability across its 12 headquarters buildings and 90 diplomatic Missions, with a view to achieving the status nationally and internationally as a Foreign Ministry with strong green credentials.

In July 2019 I launched the Department’s Green Foreign Ministry initiative, following which a Green Committee was established comprising representatives of all relevant HQ Divisions and a number of Missions. The Green Committee oversaw the preparation of a detailed Action Plan that lists almost 60 sustainability measures under six separate headings that the Department began implementing in late 2019.

Among the Department’s undertakings is to invest across the Mission network in cost-effective sustainability upgrades such as solar panels, additional insulation, thermal glazing, LED lighting and other appropriate energy-efficiency infrastructure. In 2020, solar energy technology was installed at premises owned by the Irish State in Dar-es-Salaam, Lilongwe and Mexico City. In the case of Lilongwe, for example, the project has almost completely removed the need to use the diesel-powered back-up generator that the Embassy had relied on during regular local power outages. Further solar energy projects will be undertaken in future years, including this year at premises also owned by the State in The Hague and Lusaka. Details of costs to date are provided in table 1 below.

The Department purchases motor vehicles in order to facilitate the functioning and operations of its HQ units and Missions. It is committed to procuring vehicles with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life-cycle. Under the Department’s official vehicle management policy, and in line with our Green Foreign Ministry initiative, vehicle purchases must comply with the Department’s policy of minimising its carbon footprint. Factors such as pollutant emissions, fuel efficiency and noise levels are taken into account in our vehicle specifications, which therefore favour electric and hybrid vehicles. However, it should be noted that some our Missions operate in difficult environments, where security and health and safety can be deciding factors. Details of vehicle purchases and costs in 2020 are provided in table 2 below.

Table 1 – solar energy systems installed in 2020

Table 2 – vehicle purchases in 2020