Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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36. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the actions that he has taken to support the Just Transition process since 27 June 2020. [62782/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Government is committed to a just transition in the Midlands region and has dedicated significant funding to supporting workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat harvesting by Bord na Móna. A Just Transition Commissioner was appointed by the Government in November 2019 with the mandate to engage with those affected by the accelerated exit from peat for electricity generation in the Midlands region and to recommend to Government the essential elements of a just transition for those workers and communities.

The Commissioner prepared four progress reports, all of which are available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/e0e7e-climate-action-plan-to-tackle-climate-breakdown-just-transition/. The Government has responded to the Commissioner’s recommendations through the Midlands Implementation Plan, published as part of the Government’s Climate Action Plan 2021, which outlines the targeted measures by Government to directly support the Midlands region as it transitions away from carbon intensive industries. This plan will be updated as part of the forthcoming Climate Action Plan 2023. The Department is funding 56 projects in the Midlands through the National Just Transition Fund. The Fund will provide up to €22.1 million in grant funding over the lifetime of these projects, which will mobilise an estimated €15 million in additional funding to the region and support an estimated 178 direct and 999 indirect jobs, as reported by the grantees. Approximately €4 million has been drawn down from the Department to date by these projects. Details of all supported projects can be found on the Fund's webpage at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/ed10d-just-transition-fund/

The Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme (EDRRS), approved by the Government in 2020, provides for the enhanced rehabilitation of 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna peatlands that had been previously harvested for peat extraction for electricity generation. It is sponsored by my Department and regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The total expenditure to date under EDDRS is €20.3 million. A new EU Just Transition Fund will seeks to address the adverse effects of the climate transition by supporting the most affected territories concerned and promoting a balanced socio-economic transition. I have appointed the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) as Managing Authority for this Fund, and my Department and EMRA have jointly developed the Territorial Just Transition Plan and Programme. The final Plan and Programme were approved by the Government on 29 November and formal adoption by the European Commission is expected shortly.Ireland has secured €84.5 million under this Fund which will be matched by the Exchequer, giving a total programme size of up to €169 million for expenditure until 2027.

Ireland’s Programme will focus on:

1. Generating employment for former peat communities by investing in the diversification of the local economy by supporting productive investments in enterprise, SMEs and community actions

2. Supporting the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded peatlands and the regeneration and repurposing of industrial heritage assets

3. Providing former peat communities with smart and sustainable mobility options to enable them to benefit directly from the green transition.A total of €29 million of funding will be available to Midlands communities from my Department in 2023 under the National and EU Just Transition Funds.