Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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10. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the strategies currently in place to specifically support islands with meeting renewable energy targets; the funding that has been made available for this purpose; the future plans in place to invest in offshore renewable energy linked with the islands; the steps being taken to assist island communities to meet climate action targets and create green jobs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23478/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The islands of Ireland have the potential to engage in the clean energy transition by sustainably harnessing local resources and reducing energy dependence on the mainland. Island citizens are at the heart of this transition, bringing tangible benefits such as local jobs creation, economic activity and lower energy bills. Last year, Ireland signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Clean Energy for EU Islands Initiative, recognising the important role islands can play in realising the objectives of the European Green Deal. It sets out the objective to establish a long-term framework for cooperation to advance the energy transition for islands.

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS) is the main government support to help deliver on Ireland’s 70% renewable electricity target by 2030. The scheme has a number of community features designed to ensure community participation. Of particular interest to island communities are the provisions of the Community Benefit Fund and the Community-led category. The former provides for all RESS projects, including offshore projects, to share project revenues with local communities for sustainable purposes and the latter provides a route to market for community-led projects. To better support communities in bringing forward community-led projects, an enabling framework is currently under development by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and to this end I have allocated a €3 million capital supports budget this year.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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11. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the funding allocations and plans that are in place to advance the roll-out of the National Broadband Plan to island communities specifically; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23482/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area, which includes over 2,200 premises on offshore islands. The NBP contract provides that the maximum cost to the State of delivering the NBP network over the 25 year period of the contract is €2.7bn and this subsidy includes the cost of bringing fibre connectivity to our offshore islands. 

Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the homenetwork. As of 29 April, 11 BCP sites on islands have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and by the Department of Education for schools. Further details can be found at .

My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband as part of the BCP initiative, including the islands within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Further details are available on the NBI website at .

The following table sets out the public BCP sites that have been installed, connected or are in planning on the islands.

The following table sets out the School BCP sites that have been installed, connected or are in planning on the islands.