Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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218. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on progress towards complying with section two of the Glasgow Statement on International Public Support for the Clean Energy Transition to end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil-fuel energy sector within one year of signing this statement. [11141/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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219. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will outline the amount of direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector for each of the years 2019 to 2022, and to date in 2023, in tabular form. [11142/23]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Finance if he plans to table a proposal for the OECD meeting in Paris on 6-9 March to enact restrictions on oil and gas export finance under the OECD Arrangement of Officially Supported Export Credits, in line with the Government's commitment to section 3 of the Glasgow Statement on International Public Support for the Clean Energy Transition. [11143/23]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 218, 219 and 234 together.

I am responding to these questions as my Department monitors actions related to the Government’s commitment to the Glasgow Statement on International Public Support for the Clean Energy Transition. My Department has not provided direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector for the years 2019 to date and, in the discharge of our monitoring role, the Department has not been informed of such direct support by other Departments.

I am informed by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment that Ireland does not operate any type of Export Credit supports. This has been the case since 1998 when, following a review, the Government decided to cease providing supports. However, Ireland is party to the OECD Arrangement on Officially Supported Export Credits, through the European Commission. The main purpose of the Arrangement is to provide a framework for the orderly use of officially supported export credits by fostering a level playing field in order to encourage competition among exporters based on quality and prices of goods and services exported rather than by way of export credits.

There are currently five Sector Understandings that cover export credits in the area of:

1. Ships

2. Nuclear power plants

3. Civil aircraft

4. Renewable energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and water projects, and

5. Rail infrastructure.

On 22 October 2021, the Participants agreed to end support for unabated coal-fired power plants.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act 2018 required the National Treasury Management Agency to divest the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund’s investments from all fossil fuel undertakings. Furthermore, Ireland is a member of a Paris Alignment like-minded group of shareholders in Multilateral Development Banks, which works to encourage those institutions align with the Paris Agreement, including phasing out support for fossil fuels.