Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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305. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if 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. [26456/25]

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.

The Office of Public Works Management Board is committed to meeting the organisation’s obligations under the Public Sector Climate Action Mandate. The OPW has produced a Climate Action Roadmap, outlining the organisation’s key actions to meet the requirements of the Mandate.

In 2024 the OPW reported total C02 emissions reduction of 27.1% and a 35.8% improvement in energy efficiency with respect to the baseline reference figures.

The OPW has been a leader in driving energy efficiency across the public sector, with the Optimising Power at Work programme, achieving a 32.7% reduction in energy use across participating organisations compared to the programmes baseline year. In 2024 the OPW carried out successful trials in selected transport vehicles using HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and an implementation plan is now being developed for HVO roll out within the organisation. It is anticipated that this will have a significant impact in reducing OPW transport related emission.

In terms of the State’s building portfolio, the OPW is represented on the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce, chaired by the Department of Climate, Environment and Energy. As part of that process a working group comprised of representatives from the HSE, the Department of Education and Youth, 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 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.