Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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63. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the engagements and meetings that he has held with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, relating to the increased staffing requirements in Ireland’s planning agencies to reduce the delays facing offshore wind and other renewable energy projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55348/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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My officials engage on an ongoing basis with officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage on all aspects of the planning system as it relates to the transition to renewable energy, at both a policy level, and on various legislative provisions.

I have established a cross-Departmental Offshore Wind Delivery Taskforce in order to drive delivery and capture the wider and longer-term economic and business opportunities associated with the development of offshore renewables in Ireland. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is an active member of the Taskforce, and is engaging with my Department on a variety of issues under the Taskforce’s remit. A key goal of the Taskforce is to identify how we can accelerate the roll-out of offshore wind – this includes in relation to the planning and consenting processes.

While the staffing of Planning Authorities is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, officials from my Department have engaged with his Department in respect of the staffing requirements in all agencies responsible for the roll out of renewable energy projects and both Departments are working closely together on ensuring that our ambitions in respect of the transition to renewable electricity is fully supported, as expressed in Response 25 of the National Energy Security Framework. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and I have also engaged directly on this issue and are aligned when it comes to ensuring that adequate resources are provided in the planning system to ensure certainty of timeframes in the relevant regulatory processes and support the achievement of Ireland’s renewable energy targets.

Our Departments will continue to engage collaboratively on these issues in order to enable Ireland to achieve a 51% reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and setting us on a path to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050, as committed to in the Programme for Government and set out in the Climate Act 2021.