Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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582.To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 99 of 23 May 2024, if the decarbonisation roadmaps for Ireland's manufacturing industry and for Ireland's commercial build environment have now been published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33108/24]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Climate Action Plan 2023 included actions EN/23/3(TF) and BE/23/31(TF) to develop roadmaps for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Heat in our Manufacturing Sectors, and the Decarbonisation of our Commercial Buildings.

My Department’s Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Heat was published on 23 June this year. The Roadmap will outline the trajectory to meet the binding decarbonisation targets prescribed for industry emissions up to 2030. It sets out the key policy interventions to decarbonise heat use by industry, including the supports available to companies, the regulations to promote decarbonisation, and the enabling measure that will facilitate the transition. The Roadmap is available on the Department's website.

Alongside the publication of the Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Industrial Heat, I announced €300 million euro ring-fenced for large industrial decarbonisation projects among Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland clients through the environmental aid scheme. This ring-fenced funding is being made available to drive the decarbonisation of Ireland’s industrial emitters over the coming years and to provide confidence to industry that the Government is supporting and will continue to support their investments in the green transition.

Over the coming few months, my Department will further publish a Commercial Buildings Decarbonisation Roadmap to map the trajectory to meeting our targets for the decarbonisation of commercial buildings such as offices, retail, hospitality and other commercial premises. In part this delay relates to the need to align this Roadmap with the energy performance of buildings directive, recently approved by the EU. I want to ensure that we are providing businesses with the clearest and most cost competitive pathway to addressing built environment emissions in the commercial sector. The Roadmap will also address a number of enabling measures required to support to businesses in decarbonising their buildings, including the availability of skills, the use of 'green lease' terms in tenancy agreements, and access to appropriate financial supports.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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583.To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the status of the business and human rights stakeholder forum; its plans to meet with údarás na Gaeltachta; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33109/24]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Stakeholder engagement is an integral part of developing the second national plan. Following the public consultation process last year, a stakeholder forum was created bringing together representatives from Government, civil society, academia, trade unions and business.

The stakeholder forum has met on two occasions so far. The first meeting took place in December 2023 to draw out common themes that emerged from the public consultation process, and to seek clarification on or elaborate certain recommendations, with a view to establishing the likely scope and content of the new national plan. The second meeting of the forum was held on 6 June 2024 where the draft proposed actions were discussed. Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and my Department are working on incorporating the feedback from forum members into updated actions to be included in the new Plan.

Officials from my Department have recently contacted údarás na Gaeltachta to seek their input on the draft proposed actions that were discussed at the second forum meeting. Any input received will be reviewed with the aim to update the plan accordingly. Also, údarás na Gaeltachta will be asked if they wish to participate as a member of the implementation group which will oversee the implementation of the Plan once it is published.