Written answers
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
- Electricity Grid
153. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of funding provided to ESB for energy grid maintenance and upgrade in each of the years 2010 to... - Semi-State Bodies
154. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to the NDP review and the announcement of €3.5 billion of an equity investment in ESB and EirGrid, the... - Small and Medium Enterprises
155. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if consideration has been given to re-examining the eligibility criteria for the energy audit voucher available to small... - Semi-State Bodies
156. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government regarding the €3.5 billion allocation for EirGrid and ESB in the NDP review, whether any parameters were put in... - Electricity Supply Board
157. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered removing the first come-first served principle for ESB hook-ups; the plans to prioritise residential... - Recycling Policy
159. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the strategies the Government supports to address fast fashion and the recycling of clothing textiles; and if he will make... - Departmental Schemes
160. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will examine the case of a person (details supplied) under the warmer home scheme delivered by the SEAI; and if he... - Radon Gas Levels
161. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to increase testing of radon gas given CSO data showing that 64% of homes in the mid-eastern region had not been... - Departmental Legal Services
162. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal... - Departmental Legal Cases
163. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his... - Energy Conservation
164. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government given that the new construction at Killarney Innovation Centre will employ green technologies, including energy-efficient... - Recycling Policy
166. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the total amount which has been retained as surplus from the deposit return scheme due to amounts not being reclaimed;... - Departmental Schemes
167. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide the figures on the uptake of the low-cost loan scheme for quarter 2 2025; and if he will make a statement on... - Renewable Energy Generation
168. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide updated figures on the installation of solar panels in homes, both new and retrofitted, to date in 2025; and if... - Energy Conservation
169. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide updated figures on the homes retrofitted to B2 or above, to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on... - Grant Payments
170. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide the total number of grant payments issued by the Department in each of the past five years, along with the... - Renewable Energy Generation
171. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will set out the provisions he intends to promote to facilitate the circular economy and the reuse and repair of... - Energy Conservation
173. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will introduce a community energy advice service, as energy poverty is a complex issue and people need expert... - Departmental Policies
174. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the South Coast DMAP Implementation Board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41276/25] - Renewable Energy Generation
175. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if consideration will be given to changing regulations to allow household solar PV energy generation in the event of a... - Departmental Legal Cases
176. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if all external legal fees incurred by his Department, and by any bodies under its aegis, are charged at negotiated... - Departmental Legal Services
180. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the internal oversight that exists within his Department to monitor the scope, duration, and cost escalation of legal... - Departmental Legal Cases
182. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether any legal engagements have exceeded their initial estimated or approved cost in the past three years; if so, the... - Electricity Generation
183. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department analysed developing micro-electricity production in the State and the feasibility of providing grant aid... - Electricity Grid
184. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department examined polices on dynamic electricity off peak-pricing to incentivise and lower the operational costs... - Energy Conservation
185. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 10 and 11 of 16 July 2025, to report on the 80 homes across two area based projects... - Renewable Energy Generation
187. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a detailed breakdown of installation of solar PV as part of the warmer homes scheme; the number of homes... - Departmental Schemes
196. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department will consider implementing changes under the warmer homes scheme to improve a BER in cases where an... - Departmental Data
198. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of a decision made by a board (details supplied); the impact this will have on retired workers; and if he... - Electricity Grid
199. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will report on the electricity grid; the relevant legislation that dictates the process for connections; if there is... - Energy Infrastructure
201. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the process through which a costing of €900 million was reached for the proposed liquid natural gas... - Energy Prices
204. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to report on any meetings he had with energy suppliers since he took office; the dates on which those meetings took... - Recycling Policy
205. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the percentage of bottles and cans that are recycled using the bottle deposit return scheme; and if he will make a... - Wind Energy Generation
209. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the timeline for the development of wind farms off the coast of Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Energy Conservation
210. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide details of the number of applications received for insulation and energy grants for County Wicklow in 2024 and... - Ministerial Communications
212. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether he uses personal emails for his Government business; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42140/25] - Departmental Expenditure
213. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the amount spent by his Department and State bodies under its aegis on travel and subsistence in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024... - Energy Policy
214. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the work to date his Department has undertaken as part of the energy poverty steering group; the number of times this... - Recycling Policy
215. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the up-to-date position on having the deposit return scheme available at civic amenity sites in County Cork; and if he... - Just Transition
216. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to expand the EU just transition funding outside of the midlands region; and if he will make a statement on the... - Closed-Circuit Television Systems
217. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the up-to-date position on providing funding to local authorities to install CCTV cameras in the vicinity of bottle banks;... - Departmental Schemes
218. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that currently the SEAI are giving timelines of completion of all works of 26 months under the free energy... - Energy Policy
219. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if hydrotreated vegetable oil will be available under our clean energy transition for the heating of homes; and if he will... - Public Procurement Contracts
220. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department or any agency operating under the aegis of his Department has used reserved contracts or social clauses... - National Development Plan
221. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 84 of 13 February 2025 (details supplied) and following the NDP review, if the... - Departmental Schemes
223. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the average cost to retrofit a home to a BER cost optimum standard under the better energy warmer homes scheme in the... - Departmental Funding
225. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the budget allocations for each programme under the subhead B4 of the Revised Estimate in each... - Departmental Schemes
228. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the average cost to install domestic solar PV under the solar PV scheme and the average size of... - Departmental Funding
230. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide a breakdown of the funding provided for community energy grants in 2020 to 2024 and in 2025, in tabular form;... - Departmental Schemes
231. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to report on SRESS 1; the number of projects which were successful in their applications; the progress and when he... - Departmental Funding
234. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the details of the NDP review and the €500 million allocated under the ICN fund; the details of what this... - Environmental Impact Assessments
236. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if environmental assessments will still be undertaken on future infrastructure projects, as outlined in the National... - Energy Infrastructure
239. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the expansion of district heating in Ireland; if additional funding will be provided on top of the... - Legislative Measures
241. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe for the renewable heat obligation Bill to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43007/25] - Energy Policy
242. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe for the sustainability charter of the national biomethane strategy to be published; to report on the process... - Renewable Energy Generation
243. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the proportion of the target of 5.7TWh indigenously produced by 2030 has been achieved to date; and if he will make a... - Climate Action Plan
248. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on the three new actions due and the 28 legacy actions due as outlined in the quarter 1 2025 progress... - Food Waste
252. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the priority actions that is, reporting, sector specific targets, development of stronger food separation... - Capital Expenditure Programme
256. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the details of the capital funding programmes or grants which his Department or any body under his aegis has... - Natural Gas Grid
258. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the proposals to extend the natural gas supply to Cavan town, as well as more towns in Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will... - Recycling Policy
260. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to report on the salaries of the CEO and the directors of the deposit return scheme; and if he will make a statement on... - Energy Prices
263. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures he is taking to reduce the cost of energy for households; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Departmental Schemes
271. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a replacement insulation grant for a person (details supplied) will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the... - Departmental Contracts
272. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the costs incurred by his Department and bodies under its aegis from contracts awarded to communications and PR firms in... - Departmental Staff
273. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of retired officials that were re-engaged by his Department on a consultancy basis in each of the years 2015 to... - Departmental Contracts
274. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's expenditure on IT consultancy; to provide a breakdown of all IT consultants engaged by his Department;... - Departmental Expenditure
275. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his Department's expenditure on consultancy; to provide a breakdown of all consultants engaged by his Department; the... - Energy Policy
276. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government in relation to the proposed policy on private wires, to outline how this will be regulated; what safety measures are in... - Departmental Schemes
286. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the current grant schemes available for anaerobic digestion (AD); if enhancements to these grants are being... - Recycling Policy
287. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on the number of retailers and producers currently operating the deposit return scheme; to outline any... - Renewable Energy Generation
289. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update on plans to deliver onshore and offshore wind power and solar in a sustainable way and engage with the... - Energy Policy
290. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the estimated cost of providing a €500 energy credit to each private household. [43563/25] - Building Energy Rating
292. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the estimated number of home retrofits to B2 standard or above that could be carried out for an investment of €2... - Foreshore Issues
293. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to outline the progress made in addressing the backlog of applications for foreshore licences in recent years, and in... - Energy Policy
294. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to estimate the cost of converting all fossil fuel powered electricity generation in the State to renewable energy. [43583/25] - Departmental Staff
296. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of full-time equivalents directly employed by his Department, broken down by grade, in tabular form; and if he... - Departmental Equipment
297. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government whether his Department has a policy or goal of better insourcing of IT requirements and needs of the Department for better... - Illegal Dumping
299. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the measures being taken to combat illegal dumping; whether additional resources are being provided by his Department to... - Waste Management
300. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the creation of an urban waste management programme, acknowledging the acute waste management needs of dense... - Climate Action Plan
301. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the timeline for the consultation for the social climate plan. [43744/25] - Departmental Legal Cases
302. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government for an update in relation to Vermilion Energy Corrib Ireland Ltd v The Minister for the Environment, Climate and... - Energy Policy
303. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if a data centre powered by gas powered generators offsite connected via a private wire as was suggested in recent media... - Energy Prices
308. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the number of domestic electricity customers in arrears; the number of commercial electricity customers in arrears; the... - Waterways Issues
311. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the programmes that are in place to protect rivers and lakes on a cross-Border basis; and if he will make a statement on... - Sustainable Development Goals
312. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government to provide an update on progress in respect of the Government’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals;...
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