Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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104. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform whether the public sector climate action mandate applies to the OPW; if so, the measures that have been taken by the OPW to comply with this mandate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4826/25]

Kevin Moran (Longford-Westmeath, Independent)
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The Public Sector Climate Action Mandate applies to the OPW. In 2020, the Government committed to halving Ireland’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and the achievement of net zero by 2050. This commitment became law through the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021, which requires all public bodies to support these climate goals in their work. The plan to achieve these targets is outlined in the Climate Action Plan (CAP), first introduced in 2019 and updated annually since 2021. To ensure the public sector leads by example, the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate sets specific requirements for public bodies.

In line with the requirements of the Mandate the OPW has produced a Climate Action Roadmap, outlining the organisation’s key actions to meet the requirements of the Mandate. Since the baseline period from which CO2 emissions are measured, the OPW has reduced the organisation’s total CO2 emissions by 27.5% (as at end 2023) and further actions are underway to reduce this further.

In terms of the State’s building portfolio, the OPW is represented on the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce, chaired by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. As part of that process a working group comprised of representatives from the HSE, the Department of Education, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Local Authorities, the OPW and SEAI, are working to develop a strategy to decarbonise the State’s public building stock. In this context, the top 1000 significant energy users have been identified and the OPW has provided information on its significant energy users. This will inform recommendations from the Group.

The OPW has undertaken a number of pathfinder projects, through the SEAI Pathfinder programme and through the National Resilience and Recovery Plan, aimed at identifying best approaches to decarbonising the OPW’s building portfolio, the recent deep retrofit of Tom Johnson House being an example. The OPW is also working to lower emissions from its vehicle fleet.

The OPW has led public sector energy efficiency efforts through its Optimising Power at Work program, achieving a 33.31% reduction in energy use compared to the baseline year. The OPW aims to continue improving energy efficiency and helping its clients do the same by promotion of the “Reduce Your Use" campaign.

The targets set out in the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate are ambitious, and the OPW will continue to work closely with the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, to identify the optimal approach to meeting the required targets and the resources required to deliver.