Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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931. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to provide an update on the two legacy actions due as outlined in the Q1 2025 progress report (details supplied); to outline which actions they are; the reason for the delay; the status of the progress to date; the timeline for completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43042/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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My Department and its agencies continue to engage with businesses of all sizes, to implement our Climate Action Plan objectives, and ensure that opportunities for decarbonisation and sustainability are delivered. My focus is on embedding competitiveness, through economic and environmental resilience, in Ireland’s commercial and industrial sectors, and taking all feasible steps to meet our climate targets for 2030 and thereafter.

My Department has two delayed 'legacy' actions under Climate Action Plan 2025. Action BE/23/31(TF) is to develop a detailed roadmap for the long-term decarbonisation of the commercial buildings sector and action BE/24/18(TF) is a related action to commence the implementation of that commercial buildings decarbonisation roadmap.

Work to develop the Roadmap for the Decarbonisation of Commercial Buildings is well progressed, and has included detailed engagement with the SEAI, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment. The Commercial Built Environment Decarbonisation Working Group which sits under the Heat and Built Environment Taskforce (HBET) has already begun implementation of some of the measures to be set out in the Roadmap, including actions to support businesses further in their building retrofits.

Crucially, Government is already providing support for commercial building retrofitting through the SEAI’s Business Energy Upgrade Scheme (BEUS), which provides rapid approval grants to businesses to reduce their energy use and decarbonise their premises and activities. I would encourage all businesses looking to reduce energy costs to engage with this very accessible financial support.

The delay to publication of the commercial buildings decarbonisation roadmap relates to work ongoing across Government on the transposition of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). I am determined that we give our SMEs and non-residential building owners clarity on all aspects of this regulation, and some provisions require further assessment. I am giving careful consideration to the implications for SMEs in particular, including in the context of the forthcoming Action Plan on Productivity and Competitiveness.