Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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303. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has had any communication with Laois County Council around providing a mechanism for people to access EV charging points in their homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17033/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Zero Emissions Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) continues to work directly with Local Authorities on the delivery of EV charging infrastructure.

Home charging is and will remain the primary charging method for most Irish EV owners as it is convenient, cheaper for the consumer and assists in the overall management of the national grid by reducing the impact of reliance on higher powered and peak-time charging. ZEVI provides a grant administered by the SEAI to provide home charging solutions to those with off street driveways.

However, for those unable to charge at home a growing network of neighbourhood and destination charging will provide a reliable alternative. The draft Regional and Local EV Charging Network Plan provides a pathway for the accelerated delivery of destination and neighbourhood charging.

The delivery of this plan will be led by Local Authorities, working together to develop regional and local strategies to promote a unified and efficient rollout of charging infrastructure and to facilitate the equitable transition to EVs.

Local Authorities are funded by Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) to develop these local and regional EV charging network strategies and implementation plans. This process aims to identify the number of charge points required in each area, including on-street chargers which will serve residents without access to private off-street parking.

Laois County Council has been identified as part of Region 2 under the Regional and Local Plan and will be working with counties Longford, Roscommon, Westmeath and regional lead Offaly as well as with relevant support organisations and stakeholders to identify the charging needs for their Local Authority.

Some authorities have already completed their strategies, while others are in progress. It is anticipated that most of these plans will be finalised in 2025. While strategies are being finalised, ZEVI is funding pilot infrastructure projects in a number of Local Authorities, so learnings can be applied to projects when they are delivered.

In tandem with this, a range of infrastructure schemes are being developed including the Shared Island funded Sports Club Scheme which will deliver destination charging at sports clubs across the country including Laois; and LDV1, LDV2 and LDV3 which will deliver high powered EV Infrastructure along the National Road Network.

ZEVI will continue to work with Local Authorities as they develop their strategies and will provide other supports and resources as necessary.