Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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77. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if his attention has been drawn to a survey (details supplied) and in particular the finding that just 17% of firms in Ireland had set climate targets, compared to an European Union average of 42%; the mechanisms that are currently in place to ensure that all Irish firms track and measure their environmental impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45156/22]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I am aware that Irish businesses have faced dual-challenges from Brexit and Covid, and that many are still at an early stage in understanding and mitigating their climate impact. For this reason, my Department has been working hard to assist enterprises understand their environmental impact, set clear climate targets and broaden their knowledge of the measures available to achieve them. Taking climate action will be critical to the resilience and long-term success of our enterprises; environmental sustainability and economic sustainability are now interdependent.

This summer I launched the €25 million Climate Planning Fund for Businessthat offers various schemes to help firms track and measure their environmental impact. The Climate Action Voucheroffers consultancy assistance for businesses to develop an initial sustainability and decarbonisation action plan. The GreenStartscheme helps companies to introduce environmental best practice systems and structures, achieve cost and resource reduction targets and lay a foundation for future environmental improvement projects.

I also launched the Energy Monitoring and Tracking Systemsscheme to help manufacturing clients of Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland and Údarás na Gaeltachta account for the carbon footprint of their activities. Funded under the Enterprise Emissions Reduction Investment Fund, it offers businesses 50% grants of between €5000 and €50,000 toward the installation and commissioning costs for hardware equipment.

The Climate Toolkit 4 Business, a joint initiative between my own Department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, also provides a clear and accessible starting point for any business, pointing them to enterprise-specific climate action resources, including energy efficiency measures. Businesses can save their results and then monitor their performance over time.

There are also regulations on climate impact reporting being worked on at an EU level that will integrate with the Government’s enterprise policy. Key among them is the EU’s forthcoming Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. Expected later this year, it will introduce mandatory EU sustainability reporting standards for a broader cohort of large Irish firms, and we will be encouraging and helping SMEs to report on a voluntary basis.